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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: pit · leaves · spell · rule · prune · wax · squash · field

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. rule — a law
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. squash — the sport
  6. field — for sport
  7. wax — to grow
  8. spell — a short time
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. spell — magic
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. spell — letters
  14. pit — in a race
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. field — a subject
  17. pit — a hole
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — to crush
  20. field — farmland
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. prune — to trim

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