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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. current — of water
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. scale — size or range
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. current — happening now
  8. current — electric
  9. rash — a series
  10. tube — a container
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. season — of the year
  13. rash — hasty
  14. pass — a permit
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. wax — to grow
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. scale — in music
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. tube — the underground
  24. scale — for weighing

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