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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: wax · ball · calf · rash · coach · fan · kid · shower

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. shower — rain
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. wax — to grow
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. kid — child
  12. shower — to wash
  13. rash — hasty
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rash — a series
  16. ball — a great time
  17. kid — to tease
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. ball — a dance

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