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

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. spell — a short time
  4. rule — government
  5. spell — magic
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. club — for dancing
  9. rule — a law
  10. stock — goods
  11. stem — to come from
  12. wax — to grow
  13. club — a group
  14. prune — to trim
  15. charge — electricity
  16. stock — shares
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. charge — in control
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. prune — to trim
  22. charge — a price
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. club — for golf

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