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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 120 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
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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: plane · bound · current · fine · clip · mouse · wax · cold

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. current — happening now
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bound — obliged
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. clip — a video
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. current — of water
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. cold — not warm
  14. current — electric
  15. fine — all right
  16. cold — an illness
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bound — tied together
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bound — certain
  23. fine — high quality
  24. plane — a tool

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