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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: capital · bulb · wound · board · firm · fall · staff · prune

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. firm — steady
  4. bulb — for light
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. board — to get on
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. board — a committee
  10. bulb — for light
  11. wound — an injury
  12. capital — a city
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. fall — to drop
  16. capital — money
  17. staff — employees
  18. firm — a company
  19. wound — an injury
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. firm — decided
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. staff — employees

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