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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 116 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: cold · mug · rest · can · pitcher · lean · current · wax

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. rest — a break
  3. mug — to rob
  4. cold — not warm
  5. mug — a cup
  6. current — happening now
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. lean — thin
  9. rest — what's left
  10. mug — a face
  11. can — to be able to
  12. cold — an illness
  13. wax — to grow
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. current — electric
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. current — of water
  20. lean — to bend
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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