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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: wax · lean · rest · cue · swing · press · content · charge

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. swing — to play on
  3. lean — thin
  4. cue — a hint
  5. rest — a break
  6. content — the amount
  7. rest — what's left
  8. cue — a signal
  9. content — happy
  10. press — a publisher
  11. rest — what's left
  12. press — newspapers
  13. swing — in golf
  14. cue — for pool
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — to grow
  18. charge — a price
  19. charge — in control
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. press — to push
  22. swing — music
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lean — to bend

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