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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 120 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
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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: charge · march · mouse · trunk · land · bear · root · prune

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. march — music
  5. bear — the animal
  6. charge — in control
  7. root — of a word
  8. charge — a price
  9. march — the month
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. land — ground
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. root — of a plant
  15. land — to come down
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. root — the cause
  20. land — a country
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. charge — electricity

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