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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: saw · bass · toast · cap · hide · wax · charge · kick

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bass — the fish
  3. wax — to grow
  4. saw — the tool
  5. charge — electricity
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — a lid
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. saw — the tool
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. kick — in football
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. toast — bread
  19. charge — in control
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bass — low music
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. cap — of ice
  24. charge — a price

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