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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. rock — music
  4. object — an aim
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. current — happening now
  8. swing — music
  9. spring — a coil
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. object — to protest
  12. swing — in golf
  13. spring — of water
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. current — electric
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. swing — to play on
  18. branch — a division
  19. current — of water
  20. object — a thing
  21. spring — the season
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. rock — a stone

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