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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. track — a path
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. land — to come down
  5. track — a song
  6. tube — the underground
  7. land — ground
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. land — a country
  14. current — happening now
  15. track — to keep track
  16. row — to paddle
  17. wax — to grow
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. pop — soda
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. current — of water
  22. tube — a container
  23. row — a line
  24. pop — music

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