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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wound — an injury
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — a practice
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wake — a trail
  9. charge — a price
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. charge — electricity
  12. scale — in music
  13. charge — in control
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. scale — size or range
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. branch — a division
  22. prune — to trim
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. drill — the tool

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