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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: wax · rule · prune · dip · scale · wound · current · clip

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. current — of water
  3. dip — to sink
  4. scale — in music
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — to grow
  10. clip — to cut
  11. rule — government
  12. wound — an injury
  13. prune — to trim
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. scale — size or range
  18. current — electric
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. clip — for paper
  22. rule — a law
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. clip — a video

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