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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: charge · land · snap · pop · mug · mine · wax · key

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. snap — to click
  3. mine — for digging
  4. land — ground
  5. mug — a face
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. charge — in control
  8. key — the most important part
  9. mug — to rob
  10. charge — electricity
  11. land — a country
  12. pop — music
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. mug — a cup
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. land — to come down
  17. pop — soda
  18. key — in music
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. key — for a lock
  21. pop — to visit
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. wax — to grow

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