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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: bound · charge · press · bear · prune · net · trunk · ball

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. bear — the animal
  5. prune — to trim
  6. press — to push
  7. charge — a price
  8. net — for catching
  9. bound — obliged
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. bound — certain
  12. net — after costs
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. ball — a dance
  16. press — a publisher
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. prune — to trim
  19. net — in sport
  20. charge — in control
  21. charge — electricity
  22. press — newspapers
  23. ball — a great time
  24. bear — the animal

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