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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: march · charge · pit · prune · field · dip · stick · straw

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. dip — to sink
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. pit — a hole
  6. charge — a price
  7. field — a subject
  8. pit — in a race
  9. charge — electricity
  10. march — the month
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. march — the month
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. field — for sport
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. prune — to trim
  19. field — farmland
  20. prune — to trim
  21. charge — in control
  22. march — music
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. dip — a sauce

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