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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 116 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. charge — electricity
  3. rest — what's left
  4. cue — a signal
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. charge — a price
  9. spell — magic
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. rest — a break
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. spell — a short time
  15. rest — what's left
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bark — to shout
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. charge — in control
  21. prune — to trim
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cell — in biology
  24. prune — to trim

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