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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: key · march · straw · prune · plane · bear · charge · cell

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. key — in music
  3. charge — a price
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in biology
  11. key — for a lock
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. bear — the animal
  14. charge — in control
  15. key — the most important part
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. charge — electricity
  18. march — the month
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. plane — a tool
  21. march — music
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. march — the month
  24. prune — to trim

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