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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: wind · rock · file · coach · current · wax · stick · bat

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  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. file — a line of people
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. rock — music
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rock — a stone
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wax — to grow
  14. file — a document
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. current — happening now
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bat — the animal
  19. current — electric
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. wind — moving air
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. file — a tool
  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