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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 · sharp · nail · safe · leaves · racket · fork · capital

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. capital — a city
  3. prune — to trim
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. sharp — clever
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. fork — in a road
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. capital — money
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. racket — for tennis

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