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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a partner
  3. charge — a price
  4. band — a music group
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. charge — electricity
  9. pass — a permit
  10. object — an aim
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. mate — a friend
  13. object — a thing
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. charge — in control
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. band — a ring
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. object — to protest
  24. band — a rubber band

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