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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: row · wax · charge · rash · season · foot · current · mine

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. rash — hasty
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. current — electric
  7. season — in sport
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. foot — a measure
  10. rash — a series
  11. current — happening now
  12. charge — a price
  13. row — a line
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. current — of water
  16. charge — electricity
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. charge — in control
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. row — to paddle
  22. wax — to grow
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. foot — part of the body

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