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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: firm · cold · pop · drill · prune · rule · foot · pass

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. drill — army training
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. pop — soda
  6. firm — decided
  7. drill — the tool
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pop — to visit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pop — music
  14. drill — a practice
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. rule — a law
  17. cold — not warm
  18. pass — a permit
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. firm — steady
  21. firm — a company
  22. rule — government
  23. cold — an illness
  24. prune — the fruit

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