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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 116 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: lean · current · capital · sharp · pit · face · prune · tube

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. lean — thin
  3. capital — a city
  4. prune — to trim
  5. current — electric
  6. current — of water
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. lean — to bend
  9. capital — money
  10. pit — a hole
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. tube — the underground
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. face — to point toward
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. face — part of the head
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. current — happening now
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pit — in a race
  22. sharp — clever
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. tube — a container

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