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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. staff — employees
  5. charge — in control
  6. prune — to trim
  7. degree — from a university
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. staff — a stick
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. staff — employees
  18. degree — an amount
  19. fork — in a road
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. degree — temperature
  23. wax — to grow
  24. charge — a price

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