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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
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: tube · cell · cabinet · suit · rule · land · season · prune

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. rule — government
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. rule — a law
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. suit — clothes
  7. prune — to trim
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. season — in sport
  11. land — a country
  12. tube — the underground
  13. cell — a phone
  14. prune — to trim
  15. season — of the year
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. suit — to fit
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. land — ground
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. land — to come down
  23. cell — in biology
  24. tube — a container

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