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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: charge · hide · chair · prune · scale · rest · roll · fall

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. rest — what's left
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fall — to drop
  11. charge — a price
  12. scale — size or range
  13. charge — electricity
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. roll — a list
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a cake
  18. charge — in control
  19. fall — the season
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. chair — a leader
  22. scale — in music
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. fall — to drop

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