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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — happening now
  3. clip — a video
  4. wax — to grow
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. clip — to cut
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. current — of water
  9. pop — to visit
  10. file — a line of people
  11. pop — soda
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bound — obliged
  14. file — a document
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. pop — music
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. bound — tied together
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. file — a tool
  23. bound — certain
  24. clip — for paper

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