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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fan · fine · date · prune · land · charge · can · straw

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. prune — to trim
  5. land — to come down
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. date — the fruit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. charge — a price
  12. fine — all right
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. land — a country
  15. fine — high quality
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. land — ground
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — electricity
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. can — a tin

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