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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: club · charge · stem · pound · court · deal · prune · racket

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. charge — electricity
  6. club — for dancing
  7. pound — a weight
  8. prune — to trim
  9. court — of law
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. club — for golf
  12. court — for sport
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. charge — in control
  17. deal — to handle
  18. court — of a king
  19. charge — a price
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. prune — to trim
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. club — a group

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