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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. row — a line
  3. current — happening now
  4. pass — a permit
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. root — of a plant
  9. can — a tin
  10. rule — government
  11. current — electric
  12. root — the cause
  13. can — to be able to
  14. row — to paddle
  15. can — a tin
  16. current — of water
  17. wax — to grow
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. rule — a law
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. root — of a word

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