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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.

Make a worksheet

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: mouse · chair · wax · wake · chest · charge · last · ground

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. last — final
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. chest — a box
  11. wax — to grow
  12. last — finally
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. ground — crushed
  15. chest — of your body
  16. ground — a position
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. last — to go on
  19. ground — the earth
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. charge — a price
  23. charge — in control
  24. wake — a trail

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