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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: bear · can · chip · wound · wax · current · pop · fall

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bear — the animal
  3. fall — the season
  4. pop — music
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. fall — to drop
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bear — the animal
  10. can — a tin
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. can — a tin
  14. wound — an injury
  15. current — electric
  16. current — of water
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — soda
  19. chip — to eat
  20. current — happening now
  21. chip — for betting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. can — to be able to

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