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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.

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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: bank · bass · race · trunk · wax · file · current · fork

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. current — of water
  3. bank — of a river
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. race — the arms race
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bank — for money
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a tool
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — a contest
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. wax — to grow
  17. current — electric
  18. current — happening now
  19. fork — in a road
  20. bank — for money
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. file — a document
  24. bass — low music

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