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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 112 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: prune · staff · charge · march · ball · pitcher

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. prune — to trim
  3. march — the month
  4. staff — a stick
  5. march — the month
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. march — music
  8. prune — to trim
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — electricity
  11. staff — employees
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. charge — a price
  14. ball — a dance
  15. staff — employees
  16. ball — a great time
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug

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