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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 120 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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. current — happening now
  4. club — a group
  5. object — to protest
  6. shower — to wash
  7. current — electric
  8. plane — a tool
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — rain
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. pop — soda
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. pop — music
  15. object — an aim
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. current — of water
  18. present — the time now
  19. club — for golf
  20. present — a gift
  21. present — there
  22. object — a thing
  23. wax — to grow
  24. club — for dancing

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