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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bat — the animal
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. roll — a list
  7. prune — to trim
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — a contest
  10. prune — to trim
  11. race — humankind
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cue — a signal
  17. current — of water
  18. roll — a cake
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. wax — to grow
  21. date — the fruit
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. current — electric
  24. wax — for sculpting

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