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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: wax · chip · fork · wind · season · current · roll · nail

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wax — to grow
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. chip — for betting
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. wind — moving air
  13. current — of water
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. current — happening now
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. chip — to eat
  18. current — electric
  19. roll — a list
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. season — in sport
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. season — of the year
  24. fork — in a road

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