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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. drill — army training
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. squash — to crush
  5. drill — a practice
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. drill — the tool
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. tube — a container
  13. tube — the underground
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. current — of water
  16. squash — the sport
  17. current — happening now
  18. capital — a city
  19. wax — to grow
  20. capital — money
  21. pass — a permit
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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