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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: coach · wax · current · net · kick · rash · game · shower

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rash — a series
  6. shower — to wash
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — to grow
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a match
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. kick — in football
  16. shower — rain
  17. current — happening now
  18. net — after costs
  19. current — electric
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. net — for catching
  22. current — of water
  23. net — in sport
  24. rash — hasty

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