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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cold · saw · wax · mine · current · wake · safe · charge

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. charge — electricity
  6. mine — for digging
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wax — to grow
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. charge — a price
  13. wake — a trail
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cold — an illness
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. charge — in control
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. current — of water
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. current — electric
  24. current — happening now

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