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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: foot · charge · wind · wound · wax · cap · object · row

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cap — a lid
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. row — to paddle
  9. charge — electricity
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. object — an aim
  13. cap — of ice
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wind — moving air
  16. foot — a measure
  17. row — a line
  18. charge — a price
  19. object — a thing
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. object — to protest
  22. charge — in control
  23. cap — a hat
  24. wind — moving air

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