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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. march — the month
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. clip — a video
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bank — for money
  7. charge — a price
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. march — music
  10. clip — for paper
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. firm — steady
  14. march — the month
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. saw — the tool
  17. firm — decided
  18. wax — to grow
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bank — for money
  21. firm — a company
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. charge — in control
  24. bank — of a river

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