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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. wax — to grow
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. saw — the tool
  5. current — electric
  6. chip — to eat
  7. current — of water
  8. degree — temperature
  9. chip — for betting
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. saw — the tool
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. degree — an amount
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. current — happening now

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