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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.

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: pop · kid · wax · chair · charge · stem · lie · spring

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. charge — electricity
  4. spring — the season
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. spring — of water
  7. stem — to come from
  8. pop — to visit
  9. charge — a price
  10. wax — to grow
  11. kid — child
  12. charge — in control
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. pop — music
  16. lie — to recline
  17. chair — a leader
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. spring — a coil
  20. pop — soda
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. kid — to tease
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. chair — to sit on

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