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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: mine · pass · can · ground · bowl · wax · prune · current

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. ground — the earth
  10. current — of water
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. current — happening now
  13. can — to be able to
  14. current — electric
  15. pass — a permit
  16. ground — crushed
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. can — a tin
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ground — a position
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. can — a tin
  24. mine — for digging

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