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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. charge — electricity
  4. stem — to come from
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. charge — a price
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bark — to shout
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. stand — to bear
  16. degree — temperature
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. degree — from a university
  20. kid — child
  21. degree — an amount
  22. kid — to tease
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. prune — the fruit

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