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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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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. wax — to grow
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. file — a tool
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. prune — to trim
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. deal — to handle
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. charge — in control
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. charge — a price
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. cue — a signal
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. file — a line of people
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. cue — a hint
  22. file — a document
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. cue — for pool

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