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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: charge · wound · jam · race · foot · spell · wax · mine

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. charge — a price
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — the arms race
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. mine — for digging
  11. charge — electricity
  12. race — humankind
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. foot — a measure
  15. wax — to grow
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. spell — magic
  21. spell — letters
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. spell — a short time

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