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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 120 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: scale · court · charge · prune · pit · firm · spring · lean

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. scale — size or range
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. spring — the season
  5. pit — in a race
  6. lean — to bend
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. firm — a company
  9. spring — of water
  10. firm — steady
  11. spring — a coil
  12. lean — thin
  13. prune — to trim
  14. charge — in control
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — for sport
  18. scale — in music
  19. charge — a price
  20. charge — electricity
  21. court — of law
  22. prune — to trim
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. firm — decided

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