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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: current · wax · foot · chair · rule · capital · rash · mug

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. current — electric
  3. chair — a leader
  4. current — happening now
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. capital — money
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. rash — a series
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — government
  11. capital — a city
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. mug — a cup
  15. current — of water
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. mug — a face
  19. mug — to rob
  20. rule — a law
  21. rash — hasty
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. foot — a measure

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