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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: current · cold · wave · toast · row · wax · sharp · drill

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. cold — not warm
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. sharp — clever
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. drill — a practice
  8. wax — to grow
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. drill — army training
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. current — happening now
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. current — electric
  17. row — to paddle
  18. row — a line
  19. toast — bread
  20. drill — the tool
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. cold — an illness
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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