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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 120 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: leaves · pitcher · wake · ruler · sharp · land · prune · capital

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. capital — money
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. land — a country
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. land — ground
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — a trail
  18. land — to come down
  19. prune — to trim
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. capital — a city
  23. prune — to trim
  24. sharp — clever

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