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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: wave · trunk · degree · current · land · wax · jam · can

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. degree — an amount
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. degree — from a university
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. can — a tin
  7. land — ground
  8. land — to come down
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. degree — temperature
  14. current — happening now
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. land — a country
  17. can — a tin
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. current — of water
  23. can — to be able to
  24. current — electric

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