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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.

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: mouse · board · bowl · wax · net · wind · charge · capital

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — to grow
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — electricity
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. net — for catching
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. capital — a city
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. capital — money
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. board — to get on
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. board — a committee
  23. net — in sport
  24. charge — in control

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