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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: prune · tube · last · rule · charge · leaves · mark · capital

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — a law
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. mark — a trace
  7. last — to go on
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. charge — a price
  11. tube — a container
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — money
  15. charge — in control
  16. last — final
  17. capital — a city
  18. mark — a grade
  19. charge — electricity
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — the underground
  23. last — finally
  24. rule — to rule out

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