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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: rock · prune · capital · season · racket · pop · patient · charge

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. prune — to trim
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. capital — money
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. capital — a city
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. charge — electricity
  9. pop — to visit
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — music
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. charge — a price
  16. pop — soda
  17. charge — in control
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. rock — a stone
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pop — music
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. prune — to trim

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