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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 · stem · wax · sharp · field · roll · scale · last

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. last — final
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. wax — to grow
  6. scale — size or range
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. field — a subject
  9. charge — in control
  10. sharp — clever
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. scale — in music
  13. charge — electricity
  14. charge — a price
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. roll — a list
  18. stem — to come from
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. last — finally
  21. last — to go on
  22. roll — a cake
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — farmland

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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