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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. prune — to trim
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. capital — a city
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. dip — to sink
  12. capital — money
  13. can — to be able to
  14. cell — a phone
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. cell — in biology
  19. can — a tin
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. charge — electricity
  22. charge — a price
  23. can — a tin
  24. wax — to grow

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