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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. charge — electricity
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. court — of a king
  12. charge — in control
  13. cell — in biology
  14. court — of law
  15. wax — to grow
  16. charge — a price
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. court — for sport
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rash — a series
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. pass — a permit

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