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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: rule · bass · capital · pit · prune · land · net · pound

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. prune — to trim
  3. net — for catching
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bass — the fish
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pit — in a race
  9. rule — a law
  10. net — after costs
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. capital — a city
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. pit — a hole
  16. land — a country
  17. land — to come down
  18. rule — government
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. land — ground
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. bass — low music
  24. net — in sport

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