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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. current — happening now
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wind — moving air
  6. current — electric
  7. current — of water
  8. charge — in control
  9. band — a ring
  10. charge — electricity
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. band — a music group
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. charge — a price
  18. hide — animal skin

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