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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. row — a line
  4. current — of water
  5. wax — to grow
  6. fine — all right
  7. bass — low music
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. stock — goods
  10. land — a country
  11. row — to paddle
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. land — ground
  16. stock — shares
  17. land — to come down
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. current — happening now
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bass — the fish
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fine — a penalty

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