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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. charge — in control
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. net — after costs
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bear — the animal
  13. wax — to grow
  14. net — for catching
  15. vault — a safe
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. net — in sport
  18. charge — a price
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mine — for digging
  22. charge — electricity
  23. capital — a city
  24. bear — to put up with

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