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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: rule · prune · drill · capital · trunk · mine · plane · suit

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. suit — clothes
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. plane — a tool
  7. drill — a practice
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. rule — government
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. capital — a city
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. suit — in cards
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. capital — money
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — the tool
  21. suit — to fit
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. mine — for digging
  24. rule — a law

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