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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: staff · charge · game · lash · saw · season · march · prune

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. staff — employees
  3. prune — to trim
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. march — the month
  6. staff — a stick
  7. game — wild animals
  8. charge — electricity
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. staff — employees
  12. prune — to trim
  13. march — the month
  14. charge — in control
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. saw — the tool
  17. game — a match
  18. march — music
  19. saw — the tool
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. season — of the year
  23. charge — a price
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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