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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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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: bay · cell · chair · charge · safe · ground · roll · wax

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. ground — a position
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. roll — a list
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. charge — electricity
  9. ground — the earth
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. charge — in control
  12. roll — a cake
  13. cell — a phone
  14. wax — to grow
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. chair — a leader
  19. cell — in biology
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. ground — crushed

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