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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 116 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: bound · prune · craft · chip · saw · charge · perch · rash

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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. bound — certain
  4. rash — hasty
  5. saw — the tool
  6. chip — to eat
  7. charge — in control
  8. bound — tied together
  9. craft — a skill
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. charge — electricity
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — a series
  14. craft — boats
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. saw — the tool
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bound — obliged
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. chip — for betting
  22. prune — to trim
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

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