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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. spring — of water
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. rash — hasty
  5. can — a tin
  6. fall — the season
  7. charge — electricity
  8. spring — the season
  9. wax — to grow
  10. can — to be able to
  11. charge — in control
  12. hand — in cards
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. rash — a series
  16. hand — help
  17. fall — to drop
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. fall — to drop
  21. can — a tin
  22. charge — a price
  23. spring — a coil
  24. pass — a permit

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