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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: wax · rush · bat · root · hand · season · current · stick

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. root — of a plant
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. current — of water
  5. current — electric
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. hand — help
  11. current — happening now
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rush — hurry
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. season — of the year
  19. root — of a word
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — the animal
  23. hand — in cards
  24. root — the cause

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