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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 116 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 · spring · cell · capital · plane · pitcher · hand · bay

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cell — in biology
  5. capital — money
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. spring — a coil
  9. hand — in cards
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. hand — help
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. plane — a tool
  19. prune — to trim
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — the season
  23. capital — a city
  24. bay — a horse colour

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