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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. staff — a stick
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. current — of water
  5. wax — to grow
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. capital — money
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. capital — a city
  11. current — happening now
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. tube — the underground
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. tube — a container
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — employees
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. plane — a tool

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