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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: season · charge · fork · pop · band · ground · wax · kid

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. wax — to grow
  3. season — of the year
  4. charge — in control
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. season — in sport
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. band — a ring
  9. charge — a price
  10. kid — to tease
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. fork — in a road
  13. kid — child
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — music
  18. ground — a position
  19. charge — electricity
  20. ground — crushed
  21. band — a music group
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. pop — soda
  24. ground — the earth

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