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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: net · file · root · wax · spring · bay · ball · current

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. net — for catching
  6. file — a tool
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. root — of a plant
  9. file — a document
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. root — the cause
  13. file — a line of people
  14. spring — the season
  15. wax — to grow
  16. spring — a coil
  17. net — in sport
  18. current — of water
  19. spring — of water
  20. current — electric
  21. net — after costs
  22. root — of a word
  23. current — happening now
  24. ball — a dance

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