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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: wax · fan · drill · charge · straw · rush · vault · sharp

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. charge — a price
  3. rush — hurry
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. wax — to grow
  6. sharp — clever
  7. drill — the tool
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. charge — in control
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. drill — a practice
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. charge — electricity
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. drill — army training
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. vault — a safe
  24. rush — a thrill

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