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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: can · stand · capital · kid · prune · current · scale · spell

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. scale — in music
  3. can — a tin
  4. spell — a short time
  5. kid — child
  6. can — a tin
  7. current — happening now
  8. stand — to bear
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. kid — to tease
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. spell — letters
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. can — to be able to
  17. capital — a city
  18. scale — size or range
  19. current — electric
  20. current — of water
  21. capital — money
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. spell — magic
  24. stand — on your feet

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