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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: pound · content · hand · mate · capital · prune · stand · ruler

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. mate — a partner
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. hand — help
  6. prune — to trim
  7. hand — in cards
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — happy
  10. content — the amount
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. mate — a friend
  14. capital — a city
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. pound — a weight
  18. prune — to trim
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. capital — money
  23. mate — to breed
  24. stand — to bear

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