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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mark · prune · clip · charge · ground · cue · spell · pitcher

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. prune — to trim
  4. ground — crushed
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cue — for pool
  8. mark — a grade
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. charge — electricity
  11. ground — the earth
  12. cue — a signal
  13. spell — a short time
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. cue — a hint
  16. ground — a position
  17. mark — a trace
  18. charge — a price
  19. spell — letters
  20. charge — in control
  21. clip — to cut
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. clip — for paper
  24. spell — magic

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