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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: wax · spell · drill · foot · cabinet · charge · stem · clip

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. foot — a measure
  7. drill — a practice
  8. clip — to cut
  9. spell — letters
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. drill — army training
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. charge — in control
  15. stem — to come from
  16. charge — a price
  17. charge — electricity
  18. drill — the tool
  19. clip — a video
  20. spell — magic
  21. wax — to grow
  22. spell — a short time
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. cabinet — ministers

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