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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: prune · coach · craft · straw · wake · rule · firm · capital

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. capital — a city
  3. rule — a law
  4. firm — steady
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. firm — decided
  7. prune — to trim
  8. craft — a skill
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. firm — a company
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — a trail
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. craft — boats

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