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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: bowl · foot · jam · kick · fine · lean · capital · prune

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. kick — in football
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. lean — thin
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. prune — to trim
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. capital — a city
  16. foot — a measure
  17. fine — all right
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. lean — to bend
  22. capital — money
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. jam — a tight spot

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