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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: charge · bark · sharp · tear · kid · wax · cabinet · pit

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  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. bark — to shout
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. charge — electricity
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. charge — a price
  6. pit — in a race
  7. kid — child
  8. wax — to grow
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. sharp — clever
  12. charge — in control
  13. pit — a hole
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. tear — from crying
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. tear — to rip
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. kid — to tease
  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