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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: net · capital · pound · perch · prune · charge · hand · board

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. board — to get on
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. hand — in cards
  10. capital — money
  11. pound — a weight
  12. perch — the fish
  13. charge — in control
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. capital — a city
  17. net — after costs
  18. charge — electricity
  19. charge — a price
  20. prune — to trim
  21. hand — help
  22. net — for catching
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — a flat piece

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