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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. current — of water
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — a trail
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. stand — to bear
  12. row — a line
  13. current — happening now
  14. object — a thing
  15. season — of the year
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. object — to protest
  19. season — in sport
  20. branch — a division
  21. current — electric
  22. row — to paddle
  23. wax — to grow
  24. stand — on your feet

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