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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — a partner
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. charge — electricity
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. cell — a phone
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bank — for money
  11. wax — to grow
  12. charge — a price
  13. craft — boats
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — of a river
  19. cell — in biology
  20. charge — in control
  21. season — in sport
  22. craft — a skill
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — of the year

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