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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wax — to grow
  3. current — of water
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. current — happening now
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. club — a group
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. current — electric
  12. bass — low music
  13. club — for golf
  14. bass — the fish
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. wake — a trail
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. club — for dancing

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