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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.

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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: rule · degree · fall · leaves · tear · prune · roll · fan

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. fall — to drop
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. fall — the season
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. tear — to rip
  10. roll — a list
  11. degree — from a university
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a cake
  16. fall — to drop
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. prune — to trim
  19. degree — an amount
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rule — a law
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. degree — temperature
  24. fan — a supporter

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