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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: charge · wax · row · capital · ball · can · snap · patient

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. charge — a price
  4. charge — in control
  5. charge — electricity
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. capital — money
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — to grow
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a dance
  13. row — to paddle
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. row — a line
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. capital — a city
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. can — a tin

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