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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: land · cabinet · wax · pop · key · chest · charge · content

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wax — to grow
  3. key — the most important part
  4. chest — of your body
  5. land — ground
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. land — a country
  10. pop — to visit
  11. content — happy
  12. charge — electricity
  13. content — the amount
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. charge — a price
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. land — to come down
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. pop — soda
  21. key — for a lock
  22. charge — in control
  23. pop — music
  24. key — in music

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