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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: charge · press · band · game · kid · tear · mouse · wax

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. game — wild animals
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. band — a music group
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. kid — to tease
  10. game — a match
  11. band — a ring
  12. press — newspapers
  13. tear — to rip
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. kid — child
  17. charge — a price
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. press — to push
  21. wax — to grow
  22. press — a publisher
  23. charge — electricity
  24. wax — for sculpting

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