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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: capital · lash · track · saw · prune · fine · ball · cap

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. track — a path
  3. prune — to trim
  4. fine — high quality
  5. cap — a lid
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. track — a song
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. fine — all right
  10. cap — of ice
  11. track — to keep track
  12. saw — the tool
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. capital — money
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a great time
  17. capital — a city
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. saw — the tool
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cap — a hat
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. prune — the fruit

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