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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: cell · hand · ball · cap · wax · craft · bulb · current

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. current — electric
  3. ball — a dance
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. cap — of ice
  7. craft — a skill
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. cell — in biology
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. ball — a great time
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. hand — help
  16. bulb — for light
  17. cell — a phone
  18. current — happening now
  19. hand — in cards
  20. craft — boats
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bulb — for light
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. cap — a hat

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