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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: bear · date · cold · stick · wax · racket · current · jam

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bear — the animal
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. current — happening now
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. current — electric
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. current — of water
  18. date — the fruit
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cold — the Cold War

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