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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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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: charge · track · prune · perch · hand · march · root · object

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. prune — to trim
  3. march — the month
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. hand — in cards
  10. root — of a plant
  11. track — a path
  12. march — music
  13. charge — a price
  14. track — a song
  15. object — a thing
  16. root — the cause
  17. prune — to trim
  18. root — of a word
  19. object — to protest
  20. march — the month
  21. charge — in control
  22. object — an aim
  23. hand — help
  24. charge — electricity

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