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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: tear · craft · chest · racket · wax · charge

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. charge — in control
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — electricity
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wax — to grow
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. craft — boats
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. craft — a skill
  18. chest — a box

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