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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: charge · board · band · hand · prune · track · jam · perch

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. board — to get on
  4. band — a music group
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — a committee
  7. track — a song
  8. charge — a price
  9. track — to keep track
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. perch — the fish
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. charge — electricity
  14. band — a ring
  15. track — a path
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. hand — help
  22. charge — in control
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. prune — the fruit

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