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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 124 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: spring · wound · rule · wax · mouse · charge · rest · sharp

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — clever
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — a coil
  7. rule — government
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — a law
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. rest — a break
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wax — to grow
  19. charge — electricity
  20. charge — a price
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — what's left
  23. charge — in control
  24. spring — of water

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