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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: jam · deal · shower · charge · wax · drill · bark · capital

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — electricity
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — rain
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. charge — in control
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. drill — the tool
  15. capital — money
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. capital — a city
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — a practice
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. capital — a big letter

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