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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: charge · drill · wax · band · board · land · leaves · calf

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. charge — electricity
  3. board — to get on
  4. land — ground
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. charge — in control
  8. drill — a practice
  9. wax — to grow
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. board — a committee
  14. land — to come down
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a music group
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. drill — army training
  20. land — a country
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. charge — a price
  24. drill — the tool

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