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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 116 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: root · hide · straw · drill · prune · rule · pass · ball

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. root — of a plant
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. pass — a permit
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. root — of a word
  14. rule — government
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. ball — a dance
  17. root — the cause
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. drill — a practice
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. drill — army training
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. drill — the tool

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