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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 116 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: drill · pop · sharp · stick · stand · current · wax · cold

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. drill — army training
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cold — not warm
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — a practice
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. cold — an illness
  13. wax — to grow
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. pop — music
  16. sharp — clever
  17. current — electric
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. pop — to visit
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. current — of water
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. current — happening now
  24. pop — soda

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