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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 112 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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468
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 · staff · charge · march · ball · pitcher · rash · tear

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rash — a series
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. charge — electricity
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. staff — employees
  7. charge — a price
  8. staff — employees
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. staff — a stick
  13. ball — a great time
  14. prune — to trim
  15. tear — to rip
  16. ball — a dance
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. rash — hasty
  21. charge — in control
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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