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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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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: stick · face · kid · charge · rock · chest · mate · prune

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. rock — a stone
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. rock — music
  5. face — to point toward
  6. chest — a box
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. chest — of your body
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. face — to confront
  11. kid — to tease
  12. face — part of the head
  13. charge — in control
  14. chest — of your body
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. prune — to trim
  17. charge — a price
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — a partner
  21. charge — electricity
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. kid — child
  24. mate — to breed

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