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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: rock · current · racket · date · stem · march · wax · drill

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. date — the fruit
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rock — a stone
  6. stem — to come from
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. march — the month
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. current — happening now
  11. rock — music
  12. current — electric
  13. march — music
  14. wax — to grow
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. drill — army training
  17. current — of water
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — a practice
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. march — the month
  24. stem — a stem cell

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