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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. key — in music
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wound — an injury
  9. chest — of your body
  10. current — of water
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wound — an injury
  16. key — the most important part
  17. rule — a law
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rule — government
  22. key — for a lock
  23. current — electric
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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