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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: squash · bay · ball · bass · wax · file · present · current

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — happening now
  3. present — there
  4. ball — a great time
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. squash — the sport
  7. file — a line of people
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — to crush
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — a gift
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. file — a tool
  16. current — of water
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. ball — a dance
  20. file — a document
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bass — low music

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