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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. degree — from a university
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. degree — temperature
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. ball — a dance
  9. degree — an amount
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. band — a music group
  12. squash — the sport
  13. charge — a price
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. wax — to grow
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. band — a ring
  22. mine — for digging
  23. charge — electricity
  24. wax — in the ear

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