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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: file · bay · wax · hand · perch · current · roll · pop

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. current — happening now
  5. hand — help
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a line of people
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. roll — a list
  11. pop — to visit
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. current — of water
  15. file — a tool
  16. perch — the fish
  17. current — electric
  18. hand — in cards
  19. roll — a cake
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. pop — soda

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