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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: clip · leaves · charge · bound · pitch · lean · wax · rash

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. charge — electricity
  5. bound — obliged
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. clip — a video
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. charge — a price
  10. pitch — completely
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — hasty
  13. lean — thin
  14. charge — in control
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — to cut
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. wax — in the ear

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