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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tube · last · current · club · wax · bowl · mark · spring

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. current — electric
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. spring — of water
  5. mark — a grade
  6. current — happening now
  7. last — finally
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. last — to go on
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. wax — to grow
  14. tube — the underground
  15. club — a group
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. club — for golf
  18. mark — a trace
  19. club — for dancing
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. current — of water
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — a container
  24. spring — the season

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