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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: wax · wound · chest · charge · stick · mine · mate · fan

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mine — for digging
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. mate — to breed
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. wound — an injury
  10. charge — in control
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. chest — of your body
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. charge — electricity
  18. chest — a box
  19. mate — a friend
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mate — a partner
  23. chest — of your body
  24. wax — for sculpting

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