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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: fine · dip · leaves · band · current · cold · wax · stock

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — to grow
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. dip — to sink
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. current — happening now
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. fine — all right
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. fine — high quality
  13. current — of water
  14. band — a music group
  15. stock — shares
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. band — a ring
  19. cold — not warm
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. stock — goods
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. current — electric
  24. cold — an illness

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