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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: board · sharp · prune · capital · bass · dip · temple · foot

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. board — a committee
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bass — the fish
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. dip — to sink
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. capital — money
  13. board — to get on
  14. bass — low music
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — clever
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. prune — to trim
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. foot — a measure
  24. prune — to trim

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com