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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: wax · straw · cap · jam · charge · court · pop · pitcher

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. court — of a king
  5. charge — in control
  6. court — of law
  7. pop — music
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. charge — electricity
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — soda
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. cap — a lid
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. charge — a price
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. court — for sport
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. cap — a hat
  23. wax — to grow
  24. cap — of ice

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