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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — in sport
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. charge — in control
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bass — low music
  9. net — after costs
  10. bass — the fish
  11. march — the month
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. staff — employees
  16. pound — a weight
  17. staff — a stick
  18. charge — electricity
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. prune — to trim
  21. march — music
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. staff — employees
  24. march — the month

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