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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. current — happening now
  3. spell — a short time
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. file — a tool
  6. spell — letters
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. current — of water
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. wax — to grow
  11. file — a line of people
  12. current — electric
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bark — to shout
  15. spell — magic
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. file — a document
  20. bank — for money
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pop — music
  23. bank — for money
  24. pop — to visit

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