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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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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: track · charge · net · pop · prune · deal · spring · chair

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. charge — a price
  5. track — a path
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. track — a song
  8. spring — a coil
  9. prune — to trim
  10. net — for catching
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — to handle
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — a leader
  16. charge — in control
  17. track — to keep track
  18. pop — music
  19. spring — of water
  20. net — after costs
  21. charge — electricity
  22. net — in sport
  23. spring — the season
  24. pop — soda

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