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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: band · jam · shower · content · staff · dip · wax · charge

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. band — a music group
  3. staff — employees
  4. shower — to wash
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. shower — rain
  7. charge — in control
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. charge — a price
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. staff — employees
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. content — happy
  16. wax — to grow
  17. staff — a stick
  18. dip — to sink
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. charge — electricity
  21. band — a ring
  22. content — the amount
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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