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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. squash — to crush
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. charge — electricity
  7. prune — to trim
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. charge — in control
  11. squash — the sport
  12. wax — to grow
  13. saw — the tool
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. charge — a price
  16. saw — the tool
  17. capital — money
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. prune — to trim
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — in a road
  24. capital — a city

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