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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cabinet · charge · plane · wind · jam · net · wax · court

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. court — of a king
  6. wind — moving air
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. charge — in control
  9. court — of law
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. court — for sport
  14. wind — moving air
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. charge — electricity
  17. plane — a tool
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. net — in sport
  21. wax — to grow
  22. net — for catching
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. net — after costs

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