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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 112 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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. squash — to crush
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — help
  5. wax — to grow
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. hand — in cards
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. current — electric
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. fine — all right
  14. band — a ring
  15. rush — hurry
  16. cold — an illness
  17. squash — the sport
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. current — of water
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. band — a music group
  22. fine — high quality
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. cold — not warm

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