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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 120 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: fall · shower · stick · kid · cue · wax · current · band

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. current — electric
  3. cue — a hint
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — to tease
  7. wax — to grow
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. cue — for pool
  11. fall — to drop
  12. current — of water
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. shower — to wash
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. shower — rain
  21. current — happening now
  22. band — a ring
  23. cue — a signal
  24. band — a music group

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