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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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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 · cell · prune · cabinet · pit · pop · row · field

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. pop — to visit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. row — a line
  6. pop — music
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cell — in biology
  9. field — for sport
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. cell — a phone
  14. charge — a price
  15. row — to paddle
  16. charge — electricity
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. charge — in control
  19. pit — a hole
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — farmland
  22. pop — soda
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. prune — to trim

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