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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: charge · rush · hide · straw · game · prune · wax · fall

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. rush — hurry
  4. game — a match
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. prune — to trim
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. wax — to grow
  9. fall — to drop
  10. charge — electricity
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. fall — to drop
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. charge — a price
  17. charge — in control
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. prune — to trim
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. fall — the season
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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