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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.

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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: capital · leaves · pitcher · prune · rest · charge · board · shower

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. charge — a price
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. charge — electricity
  6. board — a committee
  7. prune — to trim
  8. capital — a city
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. rest — a break
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. capital — money
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. rest — what's left
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. board — to get on
  21. shower — rain
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. shower — to wash
  24. charge — in control

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