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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 120 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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. charge — electricity
  7. clip — to cut
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. wax — to grow
  11. charge — in control
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — all right
  16. prune — to trim
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. degree — an amount
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — a video
  22. degree — temperature
  23. charge — a price
  24. degree — from a university

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