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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 116 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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. current — electric
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. face — to point toward
  6. band — a ring
  7. court — for sport
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. current — happening now
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cue — a hint
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. court — of law
  15. snap — to click
  16. court — of a king
  17. face — part of the head
  18. current — of water
  19. band — a music group
  20. face — to confront
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bark — to shout
  23. cue — a signal
  24. bark — of a tree

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