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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 120 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 · root · scale · charge · arm · hand · rock · net

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. prune — to trim
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — after costs
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. charge — a price
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. net — in sport
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. root — of a word
  13. charge — electricity
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. scale — in music
  17. root — of a plant
  18. rock — music
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. rock — a stone
  21. charge — in control
  22. root — the cause
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. hand — help

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