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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: bark · charge · racket · prune · swing · hand · pit · bear

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. swing — music
  3. charge — electricity
  4. bear — the animal
  5. hand — in cards
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. charge — a price
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bark — to shout
  12. pit — in a race
  13. swing — to play on
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. swing — in golf
  17. hand — help
  18. pit — a hole
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bear — the animal
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. charge — in control

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