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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rush — hurry
  3. mate — to breed
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mate — a partner
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. hand — in cards
  8. charge — electricity
  9. wound — an injury
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wax — to grow
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. date — the fruit
  17. hand — help
  18. charge — a price
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. mate — a friend
  24. charge — in control

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