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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 · tear · date · key · shower · spell · drill · current

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. wax — to grow
  3. spell — a short time
  4. key — for a lock
  5. spell — letters
  6. drill — a practice
  7. spell — magic
  8. key — in music
  9. key — the most important part
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. drill — the tool
  12. tear — from crying
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. current — electric
  15. drill — army training
  16. shower — to wash
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — to rip
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — rain
  21. current — of water
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. current — happening now

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