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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: prune · charge · spring · stock · bear · cap · perch · stem

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. charge — electricity
  3. spring — the season
  4. cap — of ice
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. charge — a price
  7. bear — the animal
  8. stock — goods
  9. perch — the fish
  10. stock — shares
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. cap — a hat
  14. prune — to trim
  15. spring — of water
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bear — the animal
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. charge — in control

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