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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. wax — to grow
  3. rush — hurry
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. squash — to crush
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. current — electric
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. board — to get on
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. current — happening now
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. board — a committee
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. squash — the sport
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — for dogs

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