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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: fork · mark · wax · chest · march · charge · fan · foot

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. charge — a price
  3. foot — a measure
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. chest — a box
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. march — the month
  8. mark — a grade
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. fork — in a road
  12. march — music
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. charge — electricity
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. mark — a trace
  18. chest — of your body
  19. wax — to grow
  20. charge — in control
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. march — the month
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. fork — to eat with

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