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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: nail · current · band · perch · wax · net · march · leaves

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. current — happening now
  3. net — for catching
  4. march — the month
  5. band — a music group
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. current — electric
  8. march — music
  9. current — of water
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. perch — the fish
  12. net — after costs
  13. march — the month
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. net — in sport
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wax — to grow
  24. band — a ring

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