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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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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 · bear · prune · stick · cue · face · ground · mate

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. ground — a position
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. cue — a signal
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. mate — a friend
  8. ground — the earth
  9. cue — a hint
  10. ground — crushed
  11. rule — government
  12. bear — the animal
  13. face — to point toward
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. rule — a law
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. face — to confront
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. face — part of the head
  20. cue — for pool
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bear — the animal
  24. mate — a partner

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