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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: club · wax · staff · fall · current · band · race · rock

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. club — for dancing
  3. current — electric
  4. current — happening now
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — music
  8. band — a music group
  9. staff — employees
  10. wax — to grow
  11. race — humankind
  12. fall — to drop
  13. race — a contest
  14. club — for golf
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. band — a ring
  17. current — of water
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. staff — a stick
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. race — the arms race
  22. club — a group
  23. fall — to drop
  24. staff — employees

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