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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. craft — a skill
  3. charge — a price
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — the season
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. charge — in control
  9. snap — to click
  10. scale — in music
  11. object — to protest
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. prune — to trim
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. spring — of water
  17. object — a thing
  18. date — the fruit
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. object — an aim
  21. craft — boats
  22. prune — to trim
  23. scale — size or range
  24. craft — a handicraft

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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