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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. last — finally
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. row — to paddle
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. prune — to trim
  8. last — to go on
  9. charge — in control
  10. last — final
  11. charge — electricity
  12. wax — to grow
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. prune — to trim
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. row — a line
  21. mine — for digging
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. charge — a price

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