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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: date · cold · kick · arm · prune · can · current · capital

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. kick — in football
  3. can — to be able to
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. prune — to trim
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — an illness
  9. current — electric
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. date — the fruit
  13. can — a tin
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a city
  16. current — of water
  17. current — happening now
  18. prune — to trim
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. cold — not warm
  22. can — a tin
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. date — on the calendar

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