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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 116 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: current · firm · dip · game · shower · wax · kid · wound

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. firm — decided
  4. firm — a company
  5. game — a match
  6. current — happening now
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. wax — to grow
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. dip — to sink
  15. game — wild animals
  16. firm — steady
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. shower — to wash
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — to tease
  21. current — of water
  22. wound — an injury
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. current — electric

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