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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: wax · shower · fan · court · bulb · pop · pitcher · chip

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — soda
  5. chip — to eat
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. wax — to grow
  8. court — for sport
  9. chip — for betting
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. pop — music
  13. bulb — for light
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. court — of law
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. shower — to wash
  22. court — of a king
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. pitcher — a jug

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