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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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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: spell · capital · cabinet · nail · kid · bay · lean · prune

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. prune — to trim
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — child
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. spell — a short time
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. capital — a city
  14. prune — to trim
  15. capital — money
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. lean — thin
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. spell — letters
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. nail — on a finger

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