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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.

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: nail · bark · swing · wax · cell · charge · prune · shower

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. shower — rain
  4. cell — in biology
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. shower — to wash
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bark — to shout
  11. swing — in golf
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. prune — to trim
  14. charge — electricity
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. swing — to play on
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. charge — in control
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. swing — music
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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