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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: wax · cold · racket · tear · branch · stand · current · cap

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. cold — an illness
  3. stand — to bear
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a lid
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. branch — a division
  17. tear — to rip
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. cap — a hat
  20. tear — from crying
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. current — electric
  23. wax — to grow
  24. current — of water

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