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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bank — for money
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. current — happening now
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. ball — a great time
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. ball — a dance
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. current — of water
  18. bank — for money
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. cold — an illness
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bank — of a river
  24. cold — not warm

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