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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: foot · prune · mark · rule · field · squash · saw · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — a lid
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. field — farmland
  9. rule — government
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the sport
  12. saw — the tool
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mark — a grade
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. foot — a measure
  18. rule — a law
  19. field — a subject
  20. mark — a trace
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. field — for sport
  24. mark — to pay attention

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