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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
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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: charge · wax · face · race · object · lean · ground · row

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — a position
  3. face — part of the head
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. wax — to grow
  6. charge — a price
  7. face — to point toward
  8. race — the arms race
  9. object — to protest
  10. face — to confront
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. object — a thing
  14. race — humankind
  15. charge — electricity
  16. row — to paddle
  17. lean — to bend
  18. ground — the earth
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. race — a contest
  21. lean — thin
  22. charge — in control
  23. row — a line
  24. object — an aim

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