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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: toast · charge · key · prune · wound · season · dip · kid

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — for a lock
  4. prune — to trim
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. kid — child
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. charge — in control
  10. kid — to tease
  11. season — in sport
  12. prune — to trim
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. wound — an injury
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. season — of the year
  20. toast — bread
  21. charge — electricity
  22. key — in music
  23. wound — an injury
  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