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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: trunk · key · charge · prune · capital · spell · coach · deal

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. capital — money
  6. spell — letters
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. prune — to trim
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. spell — a short time
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. deal — to handle
  14. key — in music
  15. key — the most important part
  16. capital — a city
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. charge — a price
  19. spell — magic
  20. charge — in control
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. charge — electricity
  24. key — for a lock

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