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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: wax · band · firm · chair · club · track · drill · charge

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. track — a song
  3. chair — a leader
  4. charge — electricity
  5. drill — a practice
  6. club — a group
  7. drill — army training
  8. wax — to grow
  9. track — to keep track
  10. band — a ring
  11. firm — steady
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. firm — a company
  14. track — a path
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. band — a music group
  18. club — for golf
  19. firm — decided
  20. club — for dancing
  21. drill — the tool
  22. charge — in control
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. charge — a price

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