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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: mate · pound · foot · tube · net · club · prune · capital

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pound — a weight
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mate — to breed
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. net — in sport
  10. capital — money
  11. net — after costs
  12. mate — a partner
  13. club — a group
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. club — for dancing
  16. mate — a friend
  17. capital — a city
  18. tube — a container
  19. club — for golf
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. net — for catching
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. foot — a measure
  24. pound — to hit hard

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