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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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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: swing · spell · prune · degree · temple · capital · rest · fall

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. prune — to trim
  3. swing — in golf
  4. swing — to play on
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — letters
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — from a university
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. fall — to drop
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. degree — an amount
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — a break
  16. swing — music
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. capital — money
  19. spell — a short time
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. rest — what's left
  22. fall — to drop
  23. prune — to trim
  24. capital — a city

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