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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: lean · prune · charge · rash · pop · cabinet · face · snap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. charge — a price
  3. face — to point toward
  4. charge — in control
  5. prune — to trim
  6. lean — thin
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pop — to visit
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. charge — electricity
  13. pop — music
  14. rash — hasty
  15. face — part of the head
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. pop — soda
  19. prune — to trim
  20. snap — to click
  21. rash — a series
  22. face — to confront
  23. lean — to bend
  24. rash — on the skin

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