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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: toast · deal · prune · cell · rule · fall · mouse · mark

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. prune — to trim
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. prune — to trim
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. deal — to handle
  7. toast — bread
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. fall — the season
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cell — a phone
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. rule — government
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. mark — a trace
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. mark — a grade
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cell — in biology
  24. rule — a law

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