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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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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: fork · mark · charge · march · prune · wax · shower · wind

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. shower — rain
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. prune — to trim
  5. shower — to wash
  6. mark — a trace
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. fork — in a road
  10. march — the month
  11. wind — moving air
  12. charge — a price
  13. march — music
  14. charge — electricity
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. charge — in control
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. prune — to trim
  20. march — the month
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. mark — a grade
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. wind — moving air

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