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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bear — the animal
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. wax — to grow
  6. current — happening now
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bass — low music
  9. current — electric
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bass — the fish
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. charge — in control
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bear — the animal
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kid — child
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. current — of water
  23. charge — a price
  24. bass — the instrument

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