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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: perch · race · wax · hand · chip · current · jam · band

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. race — a contest
  3. chip — for betting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. current — happening now
  6. chip — to eat
  7. race — the arms race
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. band — a music group
  10. race — humankind
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. current — electric
  14. hand — in cards
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. current — of water
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wax — to grow
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. perch — the fish

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