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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 116 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: march · prune · bore · clip · pitcher · lean · charge · court

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. court — for sport
  4. bore — to tire
  5. clip — to cut
  6. charge — in control
  7. lean — to bend
  8. clip — a video
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. prune — to trim
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. bore — to drill
  13. charge — a price
  14. march — music
  15. court — of law
  16. court — of a king
  17. march — the month
  18. charge — electricity
  19. clip — for paper
  20. march — the month
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. lean — thin
  24. prune — to trim

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