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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 116 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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bore — to tire
  5. current — electric
  6. cell — in biology
  7. ground — a position
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. charge — a price
  10. bank — for money
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. charge — in control
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. cell — a phone
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bank — for money
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bank — of a river
  22. current — of water
  23. wax — to grow
  24. current — happening now

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