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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: prune · track · craft · content · cabinet · capital · temple · sharp

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. track — to keep track
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — happy
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. capital — a city
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. craft — boats
  9. craft — a skill
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. track — a path
  13. track — a song
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. prune — to trim
  19. sharp — clever
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. capital — money

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