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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 120 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: saw · ruler · cap · race · season · rock · land · prune

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. race — humankind
  3. season — of the year
  4. rock — a stone
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. prune — to trim
  7. race — the arms race
  8. cap — a lid
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. land — to come down
  12. prune — to trim
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. land — a country
  15. land — ground
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cap — a hat
  19. race — a contest
  20. rock — music
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. cap — of ice
  24. season — in sport

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