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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: charge · pass · arm · bound · pop · press · wax · last

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. last — final
  3. bound — tied together
  4. last — to go on
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pop — soda
  7. charge — a price
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. pop — music
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — newspapers
  13. charge — electricity
  14. wax — to grow
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. charge — in control
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. press — to push
  20. bound — obliged
  21. pass — a permit
  22. bound — certain
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. last — finally

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