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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. charge — a price
  3. march — the month
  4. charge — in control
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bank — of a river
  7. dip — to sink
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. bank — for money
  11. game — a match
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — a short time
  16. march — music
  17. wax — to grow
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — for sport
  21. bank — for money
  22. charge — electricity
  23. field — farmland
  24. march — the month

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