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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. charge — in control
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. charge — electricity
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. row — to paddle
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. stem — to come from
  18. chair — a leader
  19. wax — to grow
  20. prune — to trim
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. row — a line
  23. prune — to trim
  24. charge — a price

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