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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — a phone
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pound — a weight
  5. band — a music group
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. band — a ring
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. chip — for betting
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. chip — to eat
  18. wax — to grow
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cell — in biology
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pound — for dogs

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