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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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468
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 · cabinet · file · leaves · wax · chip · bulb · hand

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bulb — for light
  3. file — a tool
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. current — electric
  9. chip — to eat
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. hand — help
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. chip — for betting
  14. current — of water
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bulb — for light
  20. hand — in cards
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a document
  23. current — happening now
  24. chip — in a computer

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