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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: cabinet · charge · ball · sharp · net · prune · cell · calf

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cell — in biology
  3. ball — a great time
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cell — a phone
  7. charge — a price
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. ball — a dance
  12. net — in sport
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. charge — in control
  16. charge — electricity
  17. sharp — clever
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. calf — of the leg

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