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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: cold · charge · hand · wax · mine · racket · tube · mark

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — help
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. tube — a container
  7. mark — a grade
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. charge — a price
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. mine — for digging
  13. wax — to grow
  14. tube — the underground
  15. charge — in control
  16. charge — electricity
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. cold — an illness
  24. racket — for tennis

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