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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
468
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: can · wind · current · stem · pitcher · sharp · wax · cabinet

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. current — electric
  6. can — a tin
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. sharp — clever
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. wind — moving air
  11. current — of water
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. current — happening now
  14. can — a tin
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wax — to grow
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. can — to be able to
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. stem — to come from
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wind — moving air
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. stem — a stem cell

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