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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. prune — to trim
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. ground — a position
  6. drill — a practice
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. pop — to visit
  9. march — music
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. ground — crushed
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — music
  15. drill — army training
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. ground — the earth
  20. charge — a price
  21. charge — electricity
  22. mark — a trace
  23. drill — the tool
  24. mark — a grade

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