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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: wind · bowl · charge · land · wax · present · bound · sharp

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. land — to come down
  4. charge — electricity
  5. wind — moving air
  6. land — ground
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — clever
  11. present — there
  12. bound — tied together
  13. present — a gift
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wind — moving air
  17. charge — in control
  18. charge — a price
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. land — a country
  21. bound — obliged
  22. present — the time now
  23. bound — certain
  24. bowl — a dish

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