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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.

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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: chair · can · bat · wax · bound · charge · straw · fine

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. charge — electricity
  4. can — to be able to
  5. charge — in control
  6. fine — high quality
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bound — obliged
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. fine — all right
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bound — certain
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. chair — a leader
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bound — tied together
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. charge — a price
  22. can — a tin
  23. bat — the animal
  24. wax — to grow

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