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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 124 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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Word bank
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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. race — humankind
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. race — a contest
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. charge — electricity
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wax — to grow
  15. cell — a phone
  16. race — the arms race
  17. prune — to trim
  18. chip — to eat
  19. charge — in control
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. cell — in biology
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. bowl — to roll

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