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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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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 · foot · bowl · current · chest · ruler · bat · wind

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. current — electric
  3. chest — of your body
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. wind — moving air
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bat — the animal
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — a measure
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. current — of water
  20. chest — of your body
  21. current — happening now
  22. chest — a box
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. wind — moving air

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