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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: wave · wax · land · mouse · bound · file · bulb · charge

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. land — to come down
  3. charge — in control
  4. file — a tool
  5. charge — electricity
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bulb — for light
  11. land — a country
  12. bound — obliged
  13. file — a line of people
  14. wax — to grow
  15. land — ground
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bound — tied together
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. bound — certain
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. bulb — for light
  23. file — a document
  24. mouse — the animal

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