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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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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. chest — of your body
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. board — a committee
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. charge — a price
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. chest — of your body
  10. craft — boats
  11. wind — moving air
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. charge — in control
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wind — moving air
  16. board — to get on
  17. craft — a skill
  18. chest — a box
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. prune — to trim
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wind — to turn a key

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