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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: present · prune · fine · land · rest · saw · ruler · rule

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. land — ground
  3. land — to come down
  4. rest — a break
  5. saw — the tool
  6. prune — to trim
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — high quality
  11. land — a country
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. saw — the tool
  16. rule — a law
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. present — the time now
  19. rest — what's left
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. rest — what's left
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rule — government
  24. present — a gift

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