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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. current — of water
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. roll — a cake
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. current — electric
  9. current — happening now
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. cold — an illness
  12. rush — hurry
  13. stock — shares
  14. roll — a list
  15. wax — to grow
  16. stock — goods
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. cold — not warm

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