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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 116 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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. current — electric
  5. current — happening now
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bank — for money
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. row — a line
  13. wax — to grow
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. current — of water
  16. wind — moving air
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. bank — of a river
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bank — for money
  22. row — to paddle
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. row — a quarrel

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