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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. current — of water
  4. ball — a dance
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. rock — a stone
  7. drill — a practice
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. wax — to grow
  10. drill — army training
  11. ball — a great time
  12. drill — the tool
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. current — electric
  16. pop — music
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. pop — soda
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. current — happening now
  22. mine — for digging
  23. rock — music
  24. ball — a round shape

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