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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — a phone
  3. ball — a great time
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. cell — in biology
  6. drill — a practice
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. drill — army training
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. ball — a dance
  14. prune — to trim
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bark — to shout
  19. rash — hasty
  20. drill — the tool
  21. rash — a series
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rash — on the skin

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