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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: capital · charge · can · prune · cap · rule · mine · season

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. season — of the year
  7. can — a tin
  8. mine — for digging
  9. charge — electricity
  10. cap — a hat
  11. charge — in control
  12. can — a tin
  13. rule — a law
  14. capital — a city
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a lid
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. prune — to trim
  20. capital — money
  21. season — in sport
  22. rule — government
  23. prune — to trim
  24. charge — a price

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