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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 116 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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. game — a match
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. current — electric
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. game — wild animals
  8. current — of water
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. present — there
  11. can — a tin
  12. present — the time now
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. shower — rain
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. shower — to wash
  18. can — to be able to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. present — a gift
  22. can — a tin
  23. current — happening now
  24. game — a kind of play

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