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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: shower · calf · bear · straw · pitcher · scale · current · wax

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. scale — in music
  3. wax — to grow
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. bear — the animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. shower — rain
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. current — happening now
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. current — electric
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. shower — to wash
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bear — the animal

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