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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: prune · arm · capital · bound · date · race · bass · nail

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. capital — a city
  3. prune — to trim
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bound — tied together
  10. capital — money
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. race — the arms race
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. prune — to trim
  16. race — humankind
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bound — obliged
  19. race — a contest
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. date — the fruit
  23. bound — certain
  24. arm — a part of something

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