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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: rule · prune · lean · charge · pitcher · present · roll · land

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. present — a gift
  3. charge — a price
  4. prune — to trim
  5. land — a country
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. charge — in control
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. present — there
  10. rule — a law
  11. land — to come down
  12. charge — electricity
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. roll — a cake
  16. lean — thin
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. present — the time now
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. land — ground
  21. roll — a list
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. rule — government

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