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

Word bank: pass · kid · perch · wax · charge · cold · prune · cap

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. charge — electricity
  3. pass — a permit
  4. wax — to grow
  5. cap — of ice
  6. kid — child
  7. cold — not warm
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cap — a hat
  11. charge — in control
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. prune — to trim
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. perch — the fish
  19. kid — to tease
  20. charge — a price
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. prune — to trim
  24. perch — for a bird

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