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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. present — there
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. current — of water
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — to grow
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. present — the time now
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. rush — hurry
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. current — happening now
  15. mine — for digging
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. present — a gift
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. current — electric
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. rock — a stone
  23. foot — a measure
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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