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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: club · wax · current · pop · tube · ground · roll · jam

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. club — for dancing
  3. roll — a list
  4. pop — soda
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. roll — a cake
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pop — music
  9. current — happening now
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — a group
  12. current — of water
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. tube — a container
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — crushed
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — to grow
  22. current — electric
  23. tube — the underground
  24. ground — the earth

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