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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: wax · charge · chest · pitcher · wake · file · rash · fine

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rash — a series
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — all right
  5. chest — of your body
  6. charge — in control
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wake — a trail
  10. charge — electricity
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a document
  14. charge — a price
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. chest — a box
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. rash — hasty
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — to grow
  22. file — a tool
  23. chest — of your body
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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