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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: craft · chair · fan · charge · shower · current · wax · court

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. current — electric
  5. current — of water
  6. craft — boats
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. charge — a price
  9. charge — in control
  10. court — of law
  11. shower — to wash
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. current — happening now
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. court — of a king
  18. craft — a skill
  19. shower — rain
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. charge — electricity

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