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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: wave · rule · spell · prune · object · pitcher · ball · capital

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. spell — magic
  3. object — to protest
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. capital — a city
  7. spell — letters
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. ball — a great time
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. capital — money
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — a law
  20. object — a thing
  21. ball — a dance
  22. prune — to trim
  23. spell — a short time
  24. object — an aim

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