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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: pound · charge · rash · wax · nail · cabinet · spring · mate

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. charge — electricity
  4. charge — in control
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. mate — a partner
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. spring — of water
  10. wax — to grow
  11. spring — a coil
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. mate — to breed
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. charge — a price
  19. pound — a weight
  20. rash — a series
  21. spring — the season
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — hasty

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