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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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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: craft · chair · current · fork · bark · wax · content · wind

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. current — happening now
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. chair — a leader
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bark — to shout
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. content — the amount
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. craft — a skill
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. wax — to grow
  19. current — electric
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. current — of water
  22. fork — in a road
  23. content — happy
  24. craft — boats

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