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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: prune · ruler · bear · game · mate · wound · stand · charge

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. charge — electricity
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. mate — a friend
  7. stand — to bear
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bear — the animal
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. charge — in control
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a partner
  18. bear — the animal
  19. wound — an injury
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. charge — a price
  22. wound — an injury
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. game — a match

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