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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: mine · charge · prune · file · march · current · wax · rest

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. file — a tool
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — electric
  7. file — a line of people
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. file — a document
  10. march — the month
  11. wax — to grow
  12. march — the month
  13. charge — electricity
  14. rest — a break
  15. march — music
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rest — what's left
  20. charge — in control
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. current — of water

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