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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
468
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: leaves · wound · cell · bulb · row · game · charge · prune

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. charge — electricity
  3. row — a line
  4. charge — in control
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. cell — a phone
  10. wound — an injury
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. charge — a price
  13. prune — to trim
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bulb — for light
  16. game — a match
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bulb — for light
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. cell — in biology

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