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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: pound · degree · charge · rock · court · last · wax · rash

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  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. pound — a weight
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. rock — music
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — an amount
  9. rash — hasty
  10. court — of law
  11. last — to go on
  12. court — of a king
  13. last — final
  14. rash — a series
  15. wax — to grow
  16. court — for sport
  17. degree — temperature
  18. rock — a stone
  19. last — finally
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — in control
  23. charge — electricity
  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