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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. suit — clothes
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. band — a music group
  5. roll — a cake
  6. current — of water
  7. cell — in biology
  8. wax — to grow
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. spring — of water
  12. suit — to fit
  13. spring — the season
  14. roll — a list
  15. current — electric
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. suit — in cards
  18. band — a ring
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. spring — a coil
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. roll — on a roll

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