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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. current — happening now
  3. cue — a signal
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. spring — a coil
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. saw — the tool
  10. current — of water
  11. spring — the season
  12. mine — for digging
  13. cue — a hint
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. pop — soda
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. current — electric
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. pop — to visit
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pop — music
  22. spring — of water
  23. cue — for pool
  24. wax — to grow

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