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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. last — to go on
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. file — a line of people
  5. lean — thin
  6. current — electric
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. file — a document
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. last — finally
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. file — a tool
  14. lean — to bend
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — a weight
  17. rash — a series
  18. wax — to grow
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. last — final
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. current — of water
  24. jam — in traffic

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