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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: fine · race · mate · clip · wake · charge · trunk · prune

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. clip — a video
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. race — the arms race
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. mate — a partner
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. race — a contest
  12. charge — electricity
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a friend
  15. clip — to cut
  16. race — humankind
  17. fine — all right
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. charge — a price
  23. wake — a trail
  24. clip — for paper

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