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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: bat · bank · wax · swing · current · roll · board · chair

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bat — the animal
  4. wax — to grow
  5. swing — to play on
  6. board — a committee
  7. bank — for money
  8. board — to get on
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. roll — a list
  11. bank — for money
  12. swing — in golf
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. current — electric
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bank — of a river
  17. roll — a cake
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. current — of water
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. swing — music
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. current — happening now
  24. board — a flat piece

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