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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: mate · tear · wax · charge · pop · chair · firm · clip

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. charge — a price
  3. pop — soda
  4. mate — a partner
  5. charge — electricity
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. firm — decided
  8. chair — a leader
  9. mate — a friend
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. clip — to cut
  12. wax — to grow
  13. tear — from crying
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — for paper
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. mate — to breed
  18. charge — in control
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. firm — steady
  21. firm — a company
  22. pop — to visit
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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