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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: capital · root · pop · trunk · prune · ruler · cap · file

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cap — a lid
  6. pop — soda
  7. root — the cause
  8. capital — a city
  9. cap — of ice
  10. root — of a plant
  11. prune — to trim
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. root — of a word
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. cap — a hat
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. pop — music
  18. file — a document
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. file — a line of people
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. pop — to visit
  24. capital — money

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