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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: bowl · pitcher · current · face · net · cold · foot · wax

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. foot — a measure
  3. face — to point toward
  4. net — in sport
  5. cold — an illness
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. current — electric
  8. net — after costs
  9. current — of water
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. net — for catching
  15. current — happening now
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to confront
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. pitcher — a jug

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