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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: mouse · field · mug · deal · wound · roll · current · wax

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. current — happening now
  3. mug — to rob
  4. current — electric
  5. wax — to grow
  6. field — farmland
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. current — of water
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. deal — to handle
  20. roll — a list
  21. mug — a face
  22. roll — a cake
  23. mug — a cup
  24. wound — an injury

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