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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: bat · current · rule · club · last · rock · wax · bark

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. rock — a stone
  3. current — happening now
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. club — a group
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bat — the animal
  9. rule — government
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. last — final
  12. last — finally
  13. current — of water
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. club — for dancing
  16. club — for golf
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bark — to shout
  19. wax — to grow
  20. rule — a law
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. last — to go on
  23. current — electric
  24. rock — music

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