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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: jam · prune · temple · current · charge · chest · scale · staff

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. charge — electricity
  5. staff — employees
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. staff — employees
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. scale — in music
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. current — of water
  15. chest — a box
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. scale — size or range
  18. current — electric
  19. charge — in control
  20. staff — a stick
  21. prune — to trim
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. current — happening now
  24. charge — a price

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