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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 · march · wax · drill · field · straw · lean · mate

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. wax — to grow
  3. field — for sport
  4. charge — in control
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. lean — to bend
  8. drill — army training
  9. field — a subject
  10. march — music
  11. mate — a partner
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. drill — the tool
  14. lean — thin
  15. mate — a friend
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. charge — electricity
  18. field — farmland
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. charge — a price
  22. mate — to breed
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. lean — to rest against

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