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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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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: season · wax · wind · sharp · staff · craft · temple · current

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. current — happening now
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. staff — a stick
  6. wind — moving air
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. sharp — clever
  11. season — of the year
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. season — in sport
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. craft — a skill
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. current — of water
  22. current — electric
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — employees

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