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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.

Words on the sheet
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: ball · scale · hide · current · wax · land · dip · bark

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. land — a country
  4. current — happening now
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. wax — to grow
  8. ball — a great time
  9. current — electric
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. scale — size or range
  12. dip — to sink
  13. land — to come down
  14. bark — to shout
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. ball — a dance
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. land — ground
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. scale — in music

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