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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: charge · land · pitcher · stand · nail · key · prune · kick

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. prune — to trim
  3. charge — a price
  4. key — in music
  5. charge — electricity
  6. kick — in football
  7. land — a country
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — for a lock
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. charge — in control
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. land — ground
  16. stand — to bear
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. stand — on your feet

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