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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: charge · temple · wax · staff · kid · hide · rush · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. kid — child
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. staff — employees
  6. march — the month
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — to grow
  10. kid — to tease
  11. charge — in control
  12. rush — hurry
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. charge — electricity
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. staff — a stick
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. charge — a price
  21. march — music
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. staff — employees

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