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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: squash · lean · coach · game · wax · chest · race · charge

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. charge — electricity
  3. game — a match
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. lean — thin
  7. charge — in control
  8. chest — a box
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. charge — a price
  12. wax — to grow
  13. lean — to bend
  14. game — wild animals
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. squash — to crush
  17. race — the arms race
  18. chest — of your body
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. chest — of your body
  22. race — humankind
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. coach — a trainer

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