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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: clip · charge · scale · present · fall · cue · club · prune

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. club — for golf
  3. scale — size or range
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cue — a hint
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cue — for pool
  8. clip — for paper
  9. scale — in music
  10. charge — electricity
  11. cue — a signal
  12. club — for dancing
  13. clip — a video
  14. present — the time now
  15. clip — to cut
  16. fall — to drop
  17. club — a group
  18. present — a gift
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. charge — in control
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. present — there
  24. scale — for weighing

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