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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. game — a match
  3. wax — to grow
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. current — of water
  7. last — finally
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. current — electric
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. last — to go on
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. net — after costs
  15. lean — thin
  16. game — wild animals
  17. rock — a stone
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. rock — music
  20. last — final
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. lean — to bend
  23. branch — a division
  24. lean — to rest against

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