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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. charge — electricity
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — to grow
  6. current — of water
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. hand — help
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. hand — in cards
  15. fork — in a road
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — goods
  19. current — electric
  20. prune — to trim
  21. current — happening now
  22. charge — a price
  23. branch — a division
  24. hand — part of the body

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