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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: stem · wax · march · charge · fork · bay · wind · date

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. fork — in a road
  3. march — music
  4. charge — electricity
  5. charge — a price
  6. date — the fruit
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. wind — moving air
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — to come from
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. march — the month
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. march — the month
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. wind — moving air

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