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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: straw · chip · wax · charge · swing · ball · game · tube

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. tube — the underground
  4. charge — electricity
  5. wax — to grow
  6. swing — in golf
  7. ball — a dance
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. charge — in control
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. charge — a price
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. swing — music
  17. chip — for betting
  18. swing — to play on
  19. game — a match
  20. tube — a container
  21. chip — to eat
  22. game — wild animals
  23. ball — a great time
  24. tube — in a tire

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