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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: tube · current · pitcher · cold · coach · calf · rash · wax

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. tube — a container
  4. cold — an illness
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. current — of water
  9. cold — not warm
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — the underground
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. current — happening now
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — a series
  20. wax — to grow
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. current — electric
  24. pitcher — a jug

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