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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: mate · club · prune · capital · root · cue · face · charge

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. face — part of the head
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. charge — electricity
  5. root — the cause
  6. cue — a hint
  7. capital — a city
  8. club — for golf
  9. club — for dancing
  10. charge — a price
  11. mate — a friend
  12. cue — for pool
  13. charge — in control
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — to breed
  16. face — to point toward
  17. prune — to trim
  18. face — to confront
  19. root — of a plant
  20. club — a group
  21. capital — money
  22. cue — a signal
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. root — of a word

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