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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: chip · coach · prune · foot · tear · current · cabinet · capital

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. current — electric
  3. capital — money
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. prune — to trim
  8. chip — to eat
  9. current — of water
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. tear — from crying
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. tear — to rip
  16. foot — a measure
  17. capital — a city
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. chip — for betting
  20. tear — from crying
  21. prune — to trim
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. cabinet — ministers

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