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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — a country
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. current — of water
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pitch — completely
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. current — happening now
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. perch — the fish
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — to get on
  18. degree — temperature
  19. land — ground
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — an amount
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. current — electric

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