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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 116 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: nail · ball · prune · sharp · lash · march · branch · charge

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  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. nail — on a finger
  2. charge — electricity
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. charge — in control
  6. ball — a dance
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. charge — a price
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. march — the month
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. sharp — clever
  13. branch — a division
  14. prune — to trim
  15. ball — a great time
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. march — music
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. prune — to trim
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. march — the month
  23. ball — a round shape
  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