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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: rule · capital · wake · prune · chair · squash · court · root

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — a trail
  3. court — of a king
  4. prune — to trim
  5. root — the cause
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — money
  8. root — of a word
  9. court — of law
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. chair — a leader
  13. rule — government
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. squash — to crush
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. root — of a plant
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. rule — a law
  23. court — for sport
  24. squash — the sport

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