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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 · wake · pit · march · temple · cabinet · current · shower

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. shower — to wash
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. march — music
  9. wax — to grow
  10. march — the month
  11. pit — a hole
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. pit — in a race
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. current — electric
  19. current — of water
  20. shower — rain
  21. wake — a trail
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. march — the month

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