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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 · ground · sharp · fork · land · wax · race · degree

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. degree — temperature
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — crushed
  6. land — a country
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — to grow
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. charge — electricity
  12. land — to come down
  13. fork — in a road
  14. degree — an amount
  15. charge — in control
  16. race — the arms race
  17. race — humankind
  18. land — ground
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. ground — the earth
  21. degree — from a university
  22. charge — a price
  23. sharp — clever
  24. race — a contest

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