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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: charge · press · wax · current · squash · kid · mug · stick

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. current — electric
  3. wax — to grow
  4. press — a publisher
  5. squash — the sport
  6. mug — a face
  7. charge — in control
  8. kid — to tease
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. squash — to crush
  11. press — newspapers
  12. mug — a cup
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. charge — a price
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. kid — child
  18. current — happening now
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. press — to push
  21. charge — electricity
  22. current — of water
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. mug — to rob

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