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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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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 · stick · kid · cabinet · wax · shower · staff · racket

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. shower — to wash
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. shower — rain
  9. charge — in control
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. kid — to tease
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. kid — child
  17. charge — electricity
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. charge — a price
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. staff — a stick
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. staff — employees
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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