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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: spell · season · plane · stem · prune · chip · charge · rock

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. charge — electricity
  3. stem — to come from
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. spell — magic
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. charge — in control
  11. rock — a stone
  12. chip — to eat
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. season — in sport
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. plane — a tool
  17. season — of the year
  18. spell — letters
  19. charge — a price
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. chip — for betting
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. spell — a short time

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