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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: prune · ground · wax · wave · pitcher · current · patient · dip

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. current — of water
  8. prune — to trim
  9. ground — the earth
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. ground — crushed
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. wax — to grow
  17. current — electric
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. prune — to trim
  22. ground — a position
  23. dip — to sink
  24. wave — with your hand

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