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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: stand · wax · lash · racket · cold · perch · spell · charge

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. spell — a short time
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. charge — in control
  9. spell — letters
  10. cold — not warm
  11. spell — magic
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. perch — the fish
  16. wax — to grow
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. charge — a price
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. charge — electricity
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. stand — to bear
  24. cold — the Cold War

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