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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 120 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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. charge — a price
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bore — to tire
  5. scale — in music
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. charge — in control
  11. wax — to grow
  12. ball — a dance
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. charge — electricity
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. scale — size or range
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bore — to drill
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rock — music
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. lean — thin
  24. bore — gave birth

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