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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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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: season · prune · stem · charge · mate · stick

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. prune — to trim
  3. stem — to come from
  4. charge — electricity
  5. prune — to trim
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. charge — in control
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mate — a partner
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. mate — to breed
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. season — of the year
  18. charge — a price

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