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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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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 · clip · wake · foot · prune · wave · kid · stick

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. kid — to tease
  5. foot — a measure
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. kid — child
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. charge — in control
  13. clip — a video
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. clip — to cut
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. clip — for paper
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. charge — electricity
  24. foot — 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