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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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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: rest · wax · snap · wind · bay · charge · band · perch

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. band — a ring
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. rest — what's left
  5. perch — the fish
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. snap — to click
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. rest — what's left
  10. charge — a price
  11. wind — moving air
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. charge — electricity
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. wind — moving air
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. band — a music group
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. wax — to grow
  23. charge — in control
  24. rest — a break

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