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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: pop · bark · current · swing · suit · leaves · wax · bowl

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. swing — in golf
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. current — electric
  8. current — happening now
  9. swing — to play on
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — to shout
  13. pop — to visit
  14. suit — clothes
  15. suit — to fit
  16. swing — music
  17. pop — music
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. suit — in cards
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. current — of water
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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