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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. charge — a price
  4. wax — to grow
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. charge — in control
  7. charge — electricity
  8. kid — to tease
  9. wind — moving air
  10. prune — to trim
  11. foot — a measure
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. drill — a practice
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — army training
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. kid — child
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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