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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: kick · cabinet · stem · prune · mate · charge · mine · wind

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — a partner
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. prune — to trim
  9. kick — in football
  10. charge — a price
  11. charge — electricity
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. wind — moving air
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. stem — to come from
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mate — to breed
  24. stem — of a plant

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