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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: kid · wax · ball · fork · current · kick · chip · rash

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. ball — a dance
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. ball — a great time
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. current — of water
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. rash — hasty
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — child
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. kick — in football
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — to grow
  18. rash — a series
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — electric
  21. chip — to eat
  22. fork — in a road
  23. chip — for betting
  24. fork — to eat with

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