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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: prune · charge · stand · march · rash · court · clip · squash

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. rash — a series
  3. prune — to trim
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. charge — in control
  6. march — the month
  7. court — for sport
  8. charge — electricity
  9. march — the month
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the sport
  12. march — music
  13. clip — a video
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. court — of law
  17. court — of a king
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — to bear
  21. rash — hasty
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. charge — a price
  24. clip — to cut

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