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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: charge · capital · roll · prune · clip · tube · cap · bass

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. tube — a container
  3. charge — a price
  4. charge — electricity
  5. cap — of ice
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. capital — a city
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cap — a hat
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bass — the fish
  15. roll — a list
  16. prune — to trim
  17. tube — the underground
  18. roll — a cake
  19. charge — in control
  20. cap — a lid
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bass — low music
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — money

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