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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: ruler · object · capital · press · roll · scale · trunk · spell

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. press — a publisher
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — to push
  7. scale — in music
  8. object — a thing
  9. capital — a city
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. object — to protest
  13. spell — a short time
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. spell — letters
  16. roll — a cake
  17. roll — a list
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. scale — size or range
  20. capital — money
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. object — an aim
  23. spell — magic
  24. roll — on a roll

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