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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: plane · trunk · wax · cold · mark · object · wake · current

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. current — happening now
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. current — electric
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. object — to protest
  8. wake — a trail
  9. plane — a tool
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. cold — not warm
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. mark — a grade
  18. current — of water
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. cold — an illness
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. object — an aim
  24. wake — before a funeral

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