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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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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: content · charge · prune · craft · calf · straw · capital · pit

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. charge — in control
  4. craft — a skill
  5. pit — in a race
  6. content — the amount
  7. charge — electricity
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. capital — a city
  11. prune — to trim
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. content — happy
  15. pit — a hole
  16. craft — boats
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. capital — money
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. charge — a price

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