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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: bound · pit · wax · kid · squash · wake · current · can

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. kid — child
  3. bound — certain
  4. kid — to tease
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bound — obliged
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wax — to grow
  11. current — happening now
  12. pit — a hole
  13. current — of water
  14. can — a tin
  15. bound — tied together
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. squash — to crush
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. pit — in a race
  21. squash — the sport
  22. can — a tin
  23. current — electric
  24. can — to be able to

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