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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 · chest · tube · charge · wake · season · stem · shower

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. charge — in control
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. shower — to wash
  7. charge — electricity
  8. wax — to grow
  9. season — in sport
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. stem — to come from
  12. tube — a container
  13. chest — of your body
  14. shower — rain
  15. wake — a trail
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. tube — the underground
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. season — of the year
  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