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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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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 · scale · wax · press · fork · deal · jam · pitcher

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — to grow
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. deal — to handle
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. press — to push
  12. scale — size or range
  13. current — electric
  14. press — a publisher
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fork — in a road
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. scale — in music
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. current — happening now
  23. press — newspapers
  24. current — of water

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