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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: rash · prune · safe · capital · shower · mark · cap · spring

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — of ice
  3. mark — a grade
  4. shower — rain
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. shower — to wash
  7. rash — a series
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. mark — a trace
  10. rash — hasty
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — of water
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. prune — to trim
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. capital — a city
  19. prune — to trim
  20. cap — a hat
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. capital — money

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