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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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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. charge — electricity
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. prune — to trim
  7. present — a gift
  8. charge — a price
  9. present — there
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — for sport
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — music
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. wake — a trail
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. present — the time now
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. charge — in control

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