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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
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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: tear · roll · key · lean · pitcher · swing · capital · prune

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. tear — from crying
  4. prune — to trim
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. key — the most important part
  8. capital — a city
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. swing — in golf
  12. tear — to rip
  13. lean — thin
  14. key — in music
  15. key — for a lock
  16. roll — a list
  17. roll — a cake
  18. lean — to bend
  19. prune — to trim
  20. tear — from crying
  21. swing — to play on
  22. capital — money
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. lean — to rest against

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