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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: band · rock · file · root · ground · wax · current · can

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. current — of water
  3. can — a tin
  4. file — a document
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a music group
  7. root — of a word
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. root — the cause
  10. can — a tin
  11. wax — to grow
  12. can — to be able to
  13. current — happening now
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. ground — a position
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. current — electric
  19. root — of a plant
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — a stone
  22. file — a tool
  23. ground — the earth
  24. file — a line of people

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