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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: wave · fall · drill · current · wax · rule · rash · land

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. drill — the tool
  3. rash — hasty
  4. current — of water
  5. land — ground
  6. land — to come down
  7. current — happening now
  8. rule — a law
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. fall — the season
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — government
  19. wax — to grow
  20. current — electric
  21. drill — army training
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. land — a country

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