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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: current · wax · present · bark · pitcher · mug · foot · fan

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. mug — a face
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — to grow
  11. present — a gift
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. mug — to rob
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. current — of water
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. present — there
  19. mug — a cup
  20. present — the time now
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bark — to shout
  24. current — electric

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