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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: row · wax · current · dip · spring · pit · rush · saw

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. row — to paddle
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wax — to grow
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. row — a line
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. rush — hurry
  14. dip — to sink
  15. pit — a hole
  16. current — happening now
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. spring — the season
  20. current — of water
  21. spring — a coil
  22. pit — in a race
  23. spring — of water
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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