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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: wax · wind · current · charge · net · cap · mug · wound

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. net — for catching
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. current — happening now
  5. charge — in control
  6. mug — a face
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wound — an injury
  9. net — after costs
  10. mug — to rob
  11. current — of water
  12. charge — electricity
  13. wax — to grow
  14. charge — a price
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — a lid
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. current — electric
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. net — in sport
  23. mug — a cup
  24. cap — of ice

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