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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: dip · prune · wound · sharp · present · capital · temple · wax

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. capital — money
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. dip — to sink
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. present — a gift
  12. sharp — clever
  13. wound — an injury
  14. capital — a city
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. present — there
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wound — an injury
  19. present — the time now
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — to grow
  24. capital — a big letter

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