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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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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: stem · chair · charge · band · wax · content · club · firm

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — a leader
  3. content — the amount
  4. stem — to come from
  5. band — a ring
  6. club — for golf
  7. firm — a company
  8. charge — a price
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. firm — decided
  12. band — a music group
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. club — for dancing
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. firm — steady
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. charge — in control
  19. club — a group
  20. wax — to grow
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. content — happy
  24. charge — electricity

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