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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: prune · wake · tear · mug · charge · stick · pit · pitcher

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pit — a hole
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. pit — in a race
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. charge — electricity
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mug — to rob
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mug — a face
  21. tear — to rip
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. charge — in control
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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