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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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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 · wake · key · cap · stock · prune · ground · branch

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. key — in music
  3. charge — in control
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. cap — a lid
  6. charge — a price
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. key — for a lock
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. ground — the earth
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. stock — goods
  15. cap — of ice
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. charge — electricity
  18. cap — a hat
  19. stock — shares
  20. branch — a division
  21. key — the most important part
  22. wake — a trail
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — crushed

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