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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: mug · mark · lie · pop · cell · spring · prune · charge

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. cell — a phone
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. charge — a price
  6. mark — a trace
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. mug — to rob
  9. prune — to trim
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. mark — a grade
  12. pop — to visit
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mug — a face
  15. pop — soda
  16. charge — in control
  17. cell — in biology
  18. spring — a coil
  19. prune — to trim
  20. spring — the season
  21. charge — electricity
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. pop — music
  24. spring — of water

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