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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.

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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: foot · cap · wind · wax · ground · hand · bowl · charge

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. charge — in control
  5. hand — help
  6. cap — a lid
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. cap — of ice
  10. charge — electricity
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. charge — a price
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. ground — the earth
  16. wind — moving air
  17. hand — in cards
  18. foot — a measure
  19. wind — moving air
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. cap — a hat
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. ground — a position

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