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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 120 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: charge · mouse · cold · wax · pit · plane · shower · sharp

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — in control
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. shower — to wash
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. pit — a hole
  11. shower — rain
  12. pit — in a race
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. cold — an illness
  16. sharp — clever
  17. cold — not warm
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. charge — electricity
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. wax — to grow

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