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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: can · chest · shower · current · wax · stem · ground · bowl

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. shower — to wash
  3. can — a tin
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. ground — the earth
  7. can — a tin
  8. current — happening now
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. current — electric
  14. shower — rain
  15. ground — a position
  16. chest — a box
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. ground — crushed
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. stem — to come from
  24. can — to be able to

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