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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. present — a gift
  3. perch — the fish
  4. wax — to grow
  5. present — there
  6. mark — a grade
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. can — to be able to
  9. current — of water
  10. can — a tin
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. present — the time now
  14. current — electric
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mark — a trace
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. can — a tin
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. season — of the year
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. season — in sport
  24. racket — for tennis

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