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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: capital · lean · shower · march · prune · mug · scale · stick

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. lean — thin
  4. scale — size or range
  5. capital — money
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. shower — rain
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. march — the month
  11. lean — to bend
  12. prune — to trim
  13. scale — in music
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. capital — a city
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. march — the month
  19. mug — a face
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. mug — a cup
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. march — music

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