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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: pop · mouse · stem · wake · wound · club · wax · current

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. club — for golf
  7. pop — soda
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. pop — to visit
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. pop — music
  13. current — of water
  14. wax — to grow
  15. current — electric
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. stem — to come from
  18. club — for dancing
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. club — a group
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. current — happening now
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stem — of a plant

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