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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. hand — help
  5. land — a country
  6. drill — a practice
  7. firm — decided
  8. toast — bread
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. current — electric
  11. drill — the tool
  12. hand — in cards
  13. land — ground
  14. band — a ring
  15. drill — army training
  16. firm — steady
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. band — a music group
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. land — to come down
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. current — of water
  24. firm — a company

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