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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. charge — a price
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. charge — electricity
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. wax — to grow
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. pound — a weight
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. charge — in control
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — a short time
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. spell — letters
  22. stand — to bear
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. stand — on your feet

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