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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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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: prune · rule · current · drill · rush · press · mark · leaves

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. drill — army training
  4. press — a publisher
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. current — happening now
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rule — a law
  10. current — electric
  11. press — newspapers
  12. mark — a grade
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mark — a trace
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. prune — to trim
  17. press — to push
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. rush — hurry
  22. current — of water
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — to go away

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