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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: wax · spring · current · rock · rash · mark · swing · stem

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. current — electric
  4. swing — in golf
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — a stone
  7. swing — music
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. spring — a coil
  10. mark — a trace
  11. rash — a series
  12. spring — of water
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. current — happening now
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. swing — to play on
  18. wax — to grow
  19. stem — to come from
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. spring — the season
  22. rash — hasty
  23. mark — a grade
  24. stem — a stem cell

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