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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 120 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: ruler · stick · charge · fork · chair · pop · net · wax

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. wax — to grow
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. charge — electricity
  6. fork — in a road
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. net — after costs
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. pop — soda
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. pop — to visit
  16. net — for catching
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. pop — music
  19. charge — in control
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. net — in sport
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. chair — a leader
  24. wax — in the ear

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