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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bear — the animal
  3. kid — child
  4. charge — in control
  5. kid — to tease
  6. pop — soda
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. board — to get on
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. charge — a price
  14. board — a committee
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. date — the fruit
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. pop — music
  21. bear — the animal
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. charge — electricity
  24. date — on the calendar

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