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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: fork · current · track · bear · pitcher · wax · mine · rule

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. rule — government
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mine — for digging
  5. current — happening now
  6. track — to keep track
  7. current — electric
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. wax — to grow
  13. current — of water
  14. fork — in a road
  15. bear — the animal
  16. track — a path
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. rule — a law
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. track — a song
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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