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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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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: bay · wind · wax · fork · charge · wound · cell · current

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wind — moving air
  4. charge — a price
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. charge — in control
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. cell — in biology
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — of water
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. current — electric
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. fork — in a road
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. charge — electricity

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