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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 · face · coach · charge · fine · lean · degree · clip

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. degree — from a university
  3. face — to point toward
  4. degree — temperature
  5. charge — a price
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. charge — in control
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. fine — all right
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. clip — for paper
  13. face — to confront
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. degree — an amount
  16. lean — thin
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. clip — a video
  20. fine — high quality
  21. face — part of the head
  22. lean — to bend
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. clip — to cut

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