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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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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: trunk · cap · march · wind · press · content · charge · wax

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. march — music
  3. cap — a hat
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. wind — moving air
  6. march — the month
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. press — a publisher
  9. charge — electricity
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. march — the month
  12. wax — to grow
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. press — newspapers
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. press — to push
  18. content — happy
  19. cap — a lid
  20. charge — a price
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. content — the amount
  23. cap — of ice
  24. wind — moving air

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