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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.

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: hand · charge · ball · roll · prune · sharp · row · plane

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. plane — a tool
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. prune — to trim
  7. ball — a dance
  8. hand — in cards
  9. charge — electricity
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. roll — a cake
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. hand — help
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. row — a line
  17. ball — a great time
  18. sharp — clever
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. charge — in control
  23. row — to paddle
  24. roll — a list

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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