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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: calf · stem · prune · safe · capital · spell · current · present

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. capital — a city
  3. present — a gift
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. spell — letters
  8. prune — to trim
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. spell — magic
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. stem — to come from
  14. spell — a short time
  15. current — of water
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. current — electric
  18. present — the time now
  19. current — happening now
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. capital — money
  24. calf — a young animal

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