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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 120 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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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: cap · charge · wax · craft · rest · rock · wind · lash

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. rock — music
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rock — a stone
  7. charge — in control
  8. wind — moving air
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. craft — boats
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. charge — electricity
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. craft — a skill
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. charge — a price
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — of ice
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. rest — a break
  21. wax — to grow
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rest — what's left
  24. wind — to turn a key

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