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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. charge — electricity
  5. fork — in a road
  6. bass — low music
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wake — a trail
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — the animal
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. charge — in control
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. charge — a price
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — in the ear

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