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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: file · capital · plane · leaves · lean · race · prune · mouse

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. capital — a city
  4. file — a document
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. lean — to bend
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. file — a line of people
  11. prune — to trim
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. race — a contest
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. lean — thin
  18. file — a tool
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — humankind
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. prune — to trim
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. plane — a tool

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