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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: season · charge · stem · object · current · wound · cap · wax

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. charge — electricity
  3. object — an aim
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. season — of the year
  6. cap — a lid
  7. object — a thing
  8. charge — a price
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. wax — to grow
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. cap — of ice
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. current — electric
  15. wound — an injury
  16. current — happening now
  17. charge — in control
  18. object — to protest
  19. cap — a hat
  20. current — of water
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. season — in sport
  24. wound — an injury

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