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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. key — for a lock
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. root — of a plant
  5. spell — a short time
  6. file — a tool
  7. chest — of your body
  8. charge — in control
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. key — the most important part
  11. chest — a box
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. root — of a word
  14. spell — letters
  15. wax — to grow
  16. root — the cause
  17. charge — a price
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a document
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. spell — magic
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. key — in music

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