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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. current — electric
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. bank — of a river
  6. field — for sport
  7. bat — the animal
  8. field — farmland
  9. root — of a plant
  10. root — of a word
  11. bank — for money
  12. current — happening now
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. bank — for money
  15. board — to get on
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. board — a committee
  18. current — of water
  19. field — a subject
  20. root — the cause
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wave — with your hand

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