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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 120 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: kick · charge · cold · tear · board · pitch · prune · root

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. tear — to rip
  4. root — the cause
  5. board — a committee
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. charge — a price
  8. cold — an illness
  9. root — of a word
  10. charge — electricity
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. root — of a plant
  16. prune — to trim
  17. board — to get on
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. kick — in football
  21. cold — not warm
  22. pitch — completely
  23. board — a flat piece
  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