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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: bear · drill · fan · charge · tube · wax · band · present

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. drill — the tool
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. charge — electricity
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a music group
  12. drill — army training
  13. present — the time now
  14. charge — a price
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. present — a gift
  19. bear — the animal
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. charge — in control
  22. present — there
  23. drill — a practice
  24. tube — the underground

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