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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: hand · charge · fall · squash · cap · bore · prune · racket

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bore — to tire
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bore — to drill
  7. cap — a hat
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. charge — a price
  10. squash — the sport
  11. charge — electricity
  12. charge — in control
  13. fall — the season
  14. squash — to crush
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cap — of ice
  17. hand — in cards
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. fall — to drop
  20. hand — help
  21. cap — a lid
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. racket — a loud noise

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