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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: prune · season · coach · court · scale · charge

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. charge — a price
  3. scale — in music
  4. scale — size or range
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. court — for sport
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. charge — in control
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. court — of a king
  13. prune — to trim
  14. charge — electricity
  15. season — of the year
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. court — of law

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