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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: band · lie · prune · wake · ball · clip · charge · staff

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. lie — to recline
  3. band — a music group
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — a video
  6. charge — a price
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. staff — employees
  9. wake — a trail
  10. charge — in control
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. prune — to trim
  13. ball — a dance
  14. charge — electricity
  15. band — a ring
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. clip — for paper
  18. staff — a stick
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. prune — to trim
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. ball — a great time
  24. staff — employees

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