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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. scale — size or range
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. drill — army training
  5. tube — a container
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. cold — an illness
  8. current — electric
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — not warm
  11. scale — in music
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. tube — the underground
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. current — happening now
  17. drill — a practice
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. bore — to drill
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. wax — to grow
  22. drill — the tool
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. bore — to tire

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