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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: foot · wax · mark · current · fan · last · trunk · mine

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. foot — a measure
  3. last — finally
  4. last — final
  5. mark — a trace
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. mark — a grade
  8. current — electric
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. current — of water
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. last — to go on
  24. mark — to pay attention

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