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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: charge · field · tube · pit · wax · capital · pitcher · rash

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. capital — money
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. tube — a container
  5. field — farmland
  6. pit — a hole
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. charge — in control
  11. field — for sport
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. tube — the underground
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. field — a subject
  16. charge — a price
  17. pit — in a race
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. charge — electricity
  20. wax — to grow
  21. capital — a city
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — a series

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