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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 116 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 · snap · field · wax · rush · net · band · charge

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. field — for sport
  3. charge — in control
  4. net — in sport
  5. charge — a price
  6. net — after costs
  7. charge — electricity
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. band — a music group
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. snap — to click
  14. band — a ring
  15. rush — hurry
  16. net — for catching
  17. field — farmland
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. field — a subject

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