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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. object — an aim
  3. object — a thing
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. shower — to wash
  6. object — to protest
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. can — to be able to
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. drill — a practice
  11. wax — to grow
  12. shower — rain
  13. current — electric
  14. current — happening now
  15. mine — for digging
  16. can — a tin
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. drill — the tool
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. current — of water
  22. can — a tin
  23. drill — army training
  24. wind — moving air

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