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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 116 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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. current — happening now
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. court — of a king
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — a container
  10. current — of water
  11. court — of law
  12. suit — to fit
  13. wax — to grow
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to sink
  19. court — for sport
  20. current — electric
  21. mine — for digging
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. suit — clothes

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