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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: rest · wax · rash · capital · lie · charge · bass · degree

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. rash — a series
  3. degree — temperature
  4. rash — hasty
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. rest — what's left
  7. degree — from a university
  8. wax — to grow
  9. capital — a city
  10. rest — a break
  11. lie — to recline
  12. charge — in control
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. bass — the fish
  15. capital — money
  16. charge — a price
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. degree — an amount
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bass — low music
  24. lie — an untruth

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