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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: bark · staff · wax · ground · chair · jam · cap · charge

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. cap — a hat
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. ground — crushed
  7. wax — to grow
  8. charge — a price
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. ground — a position
  14. bark — to shout
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a leader
  17. charge — electricity
  18. ground — the earth
  19. cap — a lid
  20. charge — in control
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. cap — of ice

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