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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 · net · current · wind · mine · bulb · snap · rush

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. current — electric
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — in sport
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. current — happening now
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bulb — for light
  13. wax — to grow
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. net — for catching
  18. bulb — for light
  19. mine — for digging
  20. current — of water
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. wind — moving air
  23. rush — hurry
  24. snap — to click

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