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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: wax · cabinet · current · bat · craft · straw · root · spring

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  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 — for sculpting
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. current — electric
  7. current — happening now
  8. craft — boats
  9. spring — the season
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. root — of a plant
  14. spring — of water
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bat — the animal
  17. craft — a skill
  18. root — of a word
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. root — the cause
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. spring — a coil
  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