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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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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: current · swing · mark · prune · race · wind · foot · wax

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. current — of water
  5. wind — moving air
  6. swing — in golf
  7. current — electric
  8. mark — a grade
  9. wind — moving air
  10. race — the arms race
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. mark — a trace
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. current — happening now
  15. race — humankind
  16. swing — to play on
  17. wax — to grow
  18. foot — a measure
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. race — a contest
  22. swing — music
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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