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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 120 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: wind · arm · fan · wax · charge · pound · sharp · racket

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. wind — moving air
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. charge — electricity
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. sharp — clever
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — a price
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. racket — a loud noise

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