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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: file · ground · perch · prune · charge · patient · squash · present

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. perch — the fish
  3. squash — to crush
  4. charge — in control
  5. ground — the earth
  6. charge — electricity
  7. prune — to trim
  8. present — a gift
  9. ground — a position
  10. file — a tool
  11. prune — to trim
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. file — a line of people
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. file — a document
  16. squash — the sport
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. present — there
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. present — the time now
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. ground — crushed

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