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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: track · current · wax · rock · trunk · net · kick · pitch

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a song
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. net — in sport
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — in football
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. rock — music
  13. track — a path
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. net — after costs
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. net — for catching
  19. current — happening now
  20. rock — a stone
  21. current — electric
  22. pitch — completely
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. rock — to move gently

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