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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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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: charge · pop · vault · current · cap · fine · wax · patient

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. fine — high quality
  3. fine — all right
  4. charge — electricity
  5. current — happening now
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. charge — in control
  9. current — of water
  10. pop — music
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — a safe
  13. cap — a lid
  14. pop — soda
  15. wax — to grow
  16. current — electric
  17. charge — a price
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. cap — a hat
  21. pop — to visit
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. patient — a sick person

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