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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
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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: cell · charge · net · prune · rock · trunk · coach · row

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. prune — to trim
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. charge — a price
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. prune — to trim
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. charge — in control
  14. rock — a stone
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. cell — a phone
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — in sport
  19. charge — electricity
  20. cell — in biology
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. row — a line
  23. row — to paddle
  24. trunk — of a tree

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