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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: land · swing · hand · charge · prune · pitcher · board · trunk

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. charge — in control
  4. prune — to trim
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. swing — in golf
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. land — to come down
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. land — a country
  14. swing — music
  15. hand — in cards
  16. land — ground
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. board — to get on
  19. swing — to play on
  20. board — a committee
  21. charge — a price
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. charge — electricity
  24. hand — help

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