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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: ground · bat · tube · date · clip · pitcher · wax · current

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. clip — a video
  4. ground — the earth
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bat — the animal
  7. date — the fruit
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. current — happening now
  11. wax — to grow
  12. clip — to cut
  13. tube — a container
  14. ground — a position
  15. clip — for paper
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. ground — crushed
  23. current — electric
  24. tube — the underground

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