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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: drill · mark · suit · prune · capital · spell · file · squash

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. mark — a grade
  3. file — a tool
  4. prune — to trim
  5. squash — the sport
  6. suit — clothes
  7. suit — in cards
  8. drill — the tool
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. file — a document
  12. squash — to crush
  13. spell — letters
  14. drill — army training
  15. prune — to trim
  16. suit — to fit
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. capital — a city
  19. spell — magic
  20. file — a line of people
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. spell — a short time
  24. prune — the fruit

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