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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
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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: mine · craft · press · object · deal · charge · wax · file

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. craft — boats
  4. press — a publisher
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. press — to push
  7. object — a thing
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. charge — in control
  10. craft — a skill
  11. charge — a price
  12. file — a tool
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — to grow
  15. file — a document
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. mine — for digging
  18. deal — to handle
  19. charge — electricity
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. file — a line of people
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. press — newspapers
  24. object — an aim

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