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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: hand · charge · key · wax · field · fine · club · squash

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. hand — in cards
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. fine — all right
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. charge — in control
  8. field — a subject
  9. fine — high quality
  10. club — a group
  11. field — for sport
  12. hand — help
  13. key — in music
  14. squash — the sport
  15. key — the most important part
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. charge — electricity
  18. club — for dancing
  19. wax — to grow
  20. squash — to crush
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. club — for golf
  23. field — farmland
  24. charge — a price

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