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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: prune · charge · bark · game · court · net · calf · craft

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. charge — a price
  3. court — of a king
  4. game — wild animals
  5. charge — in control
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. craft — a skill
  10. court — of law
  11. charge — electricity
  12. craft — boats
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. court — for sport
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. net — for catching
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. prune — to trim
  19. game — a match
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. net — after costs
  22. bark — to shout
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. net — in sport

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