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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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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 · prune · pound · present · court · wave · fall · degree

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. present — a gift
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. charge — electricity
  6. prune — to trim
  7. charge — in control
  8. court — of a king
  9. pound — a weight
  10. present — there
  11. degree — an amount
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. fall — to drop
  14. court — of law
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. fall — the season
  17. court — for sport
  18. fall — to drop
  19. charge — a price
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. present — the time now
  22. degree — temperature
  23. prune — to trim
  24. degree — from a university

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