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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: wake · rule · squash · prune · capital · mate · roll · plane

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. squash — to crush
  3. mate — a friend
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. mate — a partner
  6. prune — to trim
  7. roll — a cake
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. wake — a trail
  10. mate — to breed
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. plane — a tool
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rule — government
  16. squash — the sport
  17. capital — money
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. rule — a law
  21. roll — a list
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. capital — a city
  24. rule — to rule out

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