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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 116 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: sharp · content · wax · charge · straw · degree · bat · rest

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. charge — in control
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. charge — electricity
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. charge — a price
  11. sharp — clever
  12. rest — a break
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bat — the animal
  15. degree — temperature
  16. content — happy
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. rest — what's left
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — from a university
  24. wax — to grow

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