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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: ground · bore · mug · prune · rule · spell · arm · pitcher

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. mug — a face
  3. mug — to rob
  4. ground — a position
  5. rule — a law
  6. bore — to drill
  7. prune — to trim
  8. rule — government
  9. spell — letters
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. mug — a cup
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. spell — magic
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bore — to tire
  18. prune — to trim
  19. ground — crushed
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. spell — a short time

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