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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. current — happening now
  3. track — a song
  4. rest — a break
  5. rest — what's left
  6. charge — electricity
  7. track — to keep track
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. rest — what's left
  12. track — a path
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. charge — in control
  18. shower — to wash
  19. current — electric
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. charge — a price
  23. current — of water
  24. shower — rain

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