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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 · track · arm · wax · face · ground · mug · net

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. face — part of the head
  3. charge — a price
  4. mug — a cup
  5. face — to confront
  6. ground — crushed
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. track — a song
  10. ground — a position
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. face — to point toward
  17. mug — a face
  18. charge — in control
  19. track — to keep track
  20. ground — the earth
  21. wax — to grow
  22. mug — to rob
  23. net — after costs
  24. charge — electricity

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