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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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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: stand · rule · rest · sharp · rash · cap · land · prune

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. cap — a hat
  5. land — to come down
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rest — a break
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. land — ground
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. rule — government
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. land — a country
  19. cap — a lid
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. rash — a series
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. sharp — clever

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