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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. current — happening now
  3. wind — moving air
  4. ground — the earth
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bass — the fish
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wax — to grow
  11. content — happy
  12. ground — a position
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. staff — employees
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. current — of water
  17. current — electric
  18. content — the amount
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. staff — a stick
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. bass — low music
  24. wind — to turn a key

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