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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: wax · bark · firm · charge · cold · deal · straw · fine

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  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. bark — a dog's sound
  2. charge — electricity
  3. fine — all right
  4. firm — a company
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bark — to shout
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. fine — high quality
  11. firm — steady
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. wax — to grow
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. firm — decided
  18. cold — not warm
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — to handle
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. charge — a price
  23. charge — in control
  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