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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: charge · stock · leaves · wax · can · hand · capital · rush

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. rush — hurry
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. can — a tin
  7. hand — in cards
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. charge — a price
  11. stock — goods
  12. hand — help
  13. capital — money
  14. wax — to grow
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. can — a tin
  17. stock — shares
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. charge — in control
  22. capital — a city
  23. charge — electricity
  24. can — to be able to

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