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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: saw · charge · tear · rock · club · press · wax · date

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. charge — a price
  3. club — a group
  4. rock — a stone
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. club — for golf
  7. charge — electricity
  8. club — for dancing
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. saw — the tool
  12. charge — in control
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. press — a publisher
  16. rock — music
  17. press — newspapers
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. press — to push
  20. wax — to grow
  21. date — the fruit
  22. tear — from crying
  23. saw — the tool
  24. tear — to rip

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