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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 120 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. spell — magic
  3. wax — to grow
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. capital — money
  7. current — of water
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. mate — a friend
  10. track — a song
  11. bass — the fish
  12. track — to keep track
  13. current — happening now
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. mate — a partner
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. mate — to breed
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. spell — letters
  21. bass — low music
  22. spell — a short time
  23. track — a path
  24. capital — a city

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