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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: wax · roll · lash · drill · ground · cell · prune · charge

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. charge — electricity
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. cell — in biology
  5. roll — a list
  6. charge — in control
  7. roll — a cake
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. charge — a price
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. drill — the tool
  13. prune — to trim
  14. drill — army training
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. cell — a phone
  17. drill — a practice
  18. ground — a position
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. ground — crushed
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. ground — the earth

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