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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: object · prune · fall · cell · charge · can · bore · file

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. can — a tin
  3. charge — electricity
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. file — a tool
  7. fall — the season
  8. object — a thing
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. file — a document
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. object — to protest
  14. charge — a price
  15. file — a line of people
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bore — to drill
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. charge — in control
  21. fall — to drop
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. object — an aim
  24. cell — in biology

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