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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 120 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: rule · current · pass · wax · bear · mine · band · leaves

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bear — the animal
  3. band — a music group
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wax — to grow
  6. band — a ring
  7. current — happening now
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. rule — a law
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — for digging
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. pass — a permit
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. current — electric
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. rule — government
  23. current — of water
  24. leaves — lets stay

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