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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. board — to get on
  4. bat — the animal
  5. board — a committee
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. date — the fruit
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. current — of water
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. current — happening now
  15. wax — to grow
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. dip — to sink
  19. stock — goods
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. stock — shares

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