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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 120 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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. wax — to grow
  5. court — of law
  6. charge — in control
  7. prune — to trim
  8. branch — a division
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. cold — an illness
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — a position
  14. cold — not warm
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. court — of a king
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. prune — to trim
  20. court — for sport
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. charge — electricity
  23. lash — an eyelash
  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