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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. mine — for digging
  5. charge — a price
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a grade
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. charge — electricity
  11. wax — to grow
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. charge — in control
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. mark — a trace
  17. wound — an injury
  18. coach — a trainer

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