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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 116 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: racket · nail · clip · wax · pound · hand · chair · charge

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wax — to grow
  3. chair — a leader
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — to cut
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — in cards
  9. charge — electricity
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. charge — a price
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. charge — in control
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. pound — a weight
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pound — for dogs

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