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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. current — happening now
  3. rock — music
  4. ground — the earth
  5. rock — a stone
  6. hand — help
  7. current — of water
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. hand — in cards
  11. wax — to grow
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. charge — electricity
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. current — electric
  20. charge — in control
  21. plane — a tool
  22. ground — crushed
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. ground — a position

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