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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: date · fine · charge · clip · shower · roll · mouse · prune

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. prune — to trim
  4. charge — in control
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. charge — electricity
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. fine — high quality
  10. roll — a list
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. charge — a price
  13. date — the fruit
  14. shower — to wash
  15. clip — for paper
  16. fine — all right
  17. prune — to trim
  18. roll — a cake
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. clip — to cut
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. shower — rain

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