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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: wax · chip · shower · cell · calf · hand · current · bay

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. hand — help
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. cell — a phone
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. wax — to grow
  13. current — electric
  14. shower — rain
  15. current — happening now
  16. cell — in biology
  17. chip — for betting
  18. chip — to eat
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. current — of water
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. hand — in cards
  23. shower — to wash
  24. calf — of the leg

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