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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: charge · content · rest · prune · bark · bulb · kid · rock

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. content — happy
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. rock — music
  5. bulb — for light
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rest — what's left
  10. kid — to tease
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. rest — a break
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. rock — a stone
  18. prune — to trim
  19. kid — child
  20. charge — electricity
  21. content — the amount
  22. charge — in control
  23. bark — to shout
  24. charge — a price

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