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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: bat · wax · bowl · branch · current · fine · cue · wake

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cue — a hint
  6. fine — all right
  7. current — of water
  8. fine — high quality
  9. current — electric
  10. wax — to grow
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. current — happening now
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. wake — a trail
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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