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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: face · coach · wax · charge · bat · present · file · spell

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. wax — to grow
  3. charge — electricity
  4. file — a line of people
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — letters
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — to confront
  10. file — a tool
  11. present — the time now
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. present — a gift
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. spell — a short time
  18. file — a document
  19. bat — the animal
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. present — there
  23. charge — a price
  24. face — part of the head

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