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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · rule · capital · bark · deal · wave · sharp

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. bark — to shout
  3. rule — a law
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. rule — government
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — money
  10. sharp — clever
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. tube — the underground
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. tube — a container
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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