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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: saw · prune · bear · lie · cold · charge · arm · wake

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. charge — electricity
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. prune — to trim
  15. charge — in control
  16. cold — not warm
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. charge — a price
  20. cold — an illness
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bear — the animal
  23. saw — the tool
  24. arm — part of the body

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