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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. current — happening now
  3. current — electric
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. lean — thin
  8. mate — to breed
  9. rule — a law
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. band — a music group
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. mate — a partner
  14. wax — to grow
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. current — of water
  17. lean — to bend
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. season — of the year
  20. mate — a friend
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. season — in sport
  23. band — a ring
  24. lean — to rest against

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