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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. charge — a price
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. spell — magic
  8. saw — the tool
  9. clip — to cut
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. track — to keep track
  12. wax — to grow
  13. charge — electricity
  14. clip — for paper
  15. spell — a short time
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. clip — a video
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. track — a path
  21. saw — the tool
  22. track — a song
  23. spell — letters
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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