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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: dip · date · wax · bulb · hand · clip · current · mine

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. clip — to cut
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. clip — for paper
  5. hand — help
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. current — happening now
  9. clip — a video
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bulb — for light
  12. date — the fruit
  13. hand — in cards
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. dip — to sink
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. current — electric
  22. current — of water
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. date — on the calendar

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