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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 116 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: rest · hide · pop · wake · charge · swing · cap · prune

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. cap — a hat
  3. rest — a break
  4. charge — in control
  5. charge — electricity
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pop — to visit
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — music
  10. prune — to trim
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. cap — a lid
  15. wake — a trail
  16. cap — of ice
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. swing — to play on
  20. rest — what's left
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — music
  24. hide — animal skin

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