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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. prune — to trim
  3. file — a tool
  4. lean — to bend
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. file — a document
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. capital — money
  11. file — a line of people
  12. charge — in control
  13. charge — electricity
  14. wax — to grow
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. scale — in music
  18. band — a ring
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. prune — to trim
  21. charge — a price
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. band — a music group
  24. lean — thin

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