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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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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: club · current · wax · race · land · bank · pound · chair

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. current — of water
  3. bank — of a river
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. club — for golf
  6. wax — to grow
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. race — a contest
  9. chair — a leader
  10. current — happening now
  11. race — the arms race
  12. land — ground
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bank — for money
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bank — for money
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. land — a country
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. club — for dancing
  21. current — electric
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. club — a group
  24. land — to come down

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