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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. club — a group
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. club — for dancing
  7. march — music
  8. chest — of your body
  9. game — a match
  10. club — for golf
  11. current — of water
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. game — wild animals
  15. wax — to grow
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. chest — a box
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. current — happening now
  24. arm — a part of something

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