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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. charge — in control
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. prune — to trim
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. wax — to grow
  7. charge — a price
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. net — in sport
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in biology
  16. charge — electricity
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. sharp — clever
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. bore — to drill
  21. prune — to trim
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — for catching
  24. bore — to tire

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