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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.

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: racket · march · charge · wake · cold · wax · content · lean

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — happy
  4. charge — in control
  5. march — the month
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. wake — a trail
  9. cold — an illness
  10. content — the amount
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. cold — not warm
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. charge — a price
  21. charge — electricity
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — to grow
  24. march — the month

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