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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · cell · rock · charge · staff · tear · rush · present

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. tear — to rip
  3. present — there
  4. rock — a stone
  5. charge — a price
  6. tear — from crying
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. charge — electricity
  10. staff — employees
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. present — a gift
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. staff — employees
  17. charge — in control
  18. cell — in biology
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. staff — a stick
  21. present — the time now
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. cell — a phone

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