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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · mouse · season · field · wax · charge · capital · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. capital — a city
  3. charge — in control
  4. prune — to trim
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. ball — a dance
  7. capital — money
  8. field — for sport
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. season — in sport
  11. charge — a price
  12. charge — electricity
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — farmland
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. ball — a great time
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. season — of the year
  23. wax — to grow
  24. mouse — the animal

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