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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
468
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 · season · content · ruler · dip · perch · bat · charge

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — in sport
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. perch — the fish
  6. wax — to grow
  7. charge — in control
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. dip — to sink
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. charge — a price
  12. content — happy
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. content — the amount
  20. charge — electricity
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bat — the animal

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