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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stock · saw · cap · prune · capital · track · ruler · perch

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. capital — a city
  4. cap — of ice
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. track — a path
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — a hat
  10. prune — to trim
  11. track — to keep track
  12. saw — the tool
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. stock — shares
  15. perch — the fish
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. prune — to trim
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. track — a song
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. stock — goods
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. capital — money

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