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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 116 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: row · file · snap · pitcher · sharp · wax · charge · spring

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. charge — a price
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — to grow
  5. charge — electricity
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. charge — in control
  12. sharp — clever
  13. file — a line of people
  14. row — a line
  15. spring — the season
  16. file — a document
  17. spring — of water
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. file — a tool
  22. spring — a coil
  23. row — to paddle
  24. snap — to click

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