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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: drill · pass · charge · land · file · kid · kick · wax

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. kick — in football
  4. charge — a price
  5. wax — to grow
  6. drill — army training
  7. drill — the tool
  8. land — ground
  9. land — to come down
  10. file — a tool
  11. land — a country
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — to tease
  15. file — a document
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. pass — a permit
  19. charge — in control
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. charge — electricity
  23. file — a line of people
  24. drill — a practice

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