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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: chip · hide · charge · wax · date · stick · game · tube

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. game — wild animals
  5. charge — electricity
  6. charge — a price
  7. chip — to eat
  8. tube — a container
  9. charge — in control
  10. tube — the underground
  11. game — a match
  12. wax — to grow
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. date — the fruit
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. chip — for betting
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. hide — to keep secret

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