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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: fan · key · race · charge · cold · lean · wax · swing

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. key — the most important part
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. charge — a price
  5. swing — to play on
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. swing — music
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. race — the arms race
  10. key — for a lock
  11. lean — thin
  12. key — in music
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. race — humankind
  15. wax — to grow
  16. lean — to bend
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. race — a contest
  19. cold — an illness
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. charge — in control
  22. swing — in golf
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. cold — not warm

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