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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: mug · wind · current · wax · lean · chair · last · prune

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. lean — to bend
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. mug — a cup
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mug — a face
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. mug — to rob
  11. current — happening now
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. current — electric
  16. lean — thin
  17. current — of water
  18. last — finally
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. chair — a leader
  21. wax — to grow
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. last — to go on

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