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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 120 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: dip · club · cap · bulb · prune · chest · craft · charge

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. charge — electricity
  3. charge — a price
  4. chest — of your body
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for dancing
  7. charge — in control
  8. craft — boats
  9. dip — to sink
  10. bulb — for light
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — of ice
  13. prune — to trim
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bulb — for light
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. club — for golf
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. craft — a skill
  24. prune — to trim

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