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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: deal · bark · charge · prune · club · key · capital · lash

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — electricity
  4. key — for a lock
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. key — in music
  8. key — the most important part
  9. club — a group
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. club — for golf
  13. capital — money
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. capital — a city
  16. prune — to trim
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. charge — in control
  19. deal — to handle
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bark — to shout
  22. club — for dancing
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. deal — a big deal

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