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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 116 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: rest · rule · plane · cell · prune · wave · pitcher · land

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. cell — in biology
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. plane — a tool
  11. prune — to trim
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. land — ground
  16. land — a country
  17. rest — what's left
  18. land — to come down
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. rule — a law
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. cell — a phone

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