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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: club · wax · wind · wave · fan · root · coach · current

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wind — moving air
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. current — of water
  6. root — of a plant
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. club — for golf
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. current — electric
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. current — happening now
  15. root — of a word
  16. club — for dancing
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. club — a group
  23. root — the cause
  24. wind — moving air

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