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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: cabinet · prune · charge · wave · dip · face · game · object

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. prune — to trim
  3. object — to protest
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. game — wild animals
  7. charge — electricity
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. charge — a price
  13. object — a thing
  14. face — to confront
  15. game — a match
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. object — an aim
  19. face — part of the head
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. charge — in control
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. dip — to sink
  24. game — a kind of play

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