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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.

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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: charge · bank · last · season · wax · game

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. game — a match
  3. game — wild animals
  4. charge — a price
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. season — in sport
  7. charge — in control
  8. season — of the year
  9. last — final
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bank — for money
  14. last — finally
  15. bank — of a river
  16. last — to go on
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. charge — electricity

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