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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: roll · cap · race · ruler · spell · mark · cell · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mark — a grade
  3. race — humankind
  4. spell — letters
  5. race — the arms race
  6. roll — a cake
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. spell — magic
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. roll — a list
  12. spell — a short time
  13. race — a contest
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. mark — a trace
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cell — in biology
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. prune — to trim
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cap — a lid

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