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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. scale — size or range
  3. spell — letters
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. spell — a short time
  6. wax — to grow
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. chair — a leader
  10. ball — a dance
  11. club — for dancing
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. current — happening now
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. spell — magic
  16. scale — in music
  17. ball — a great time
  18. current — electric
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. club — for golf
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. club — a group

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