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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 120 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: current · capital · coach · rash · craft · prune · mug · spring

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. spring — a coil
  4. capital — money
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rash — hasty
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. current — electric
  10. mug — to rob
  11. current — happening now
  12. spring — the season
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. prune — to trim
  15. spring — of water
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a skill
  18. capital — a city
  19. mug — a cup
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rash — a series
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. current — of water

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