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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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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 · foot · chip · drill · shower · wax · stick · date

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. kid — to tease
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. foot — a measure
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. chip — for betting
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. drill — the tool
  12. date — the fruit
  13. drill — army training
  14. wax — to grow
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — rain
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. drill — a practice
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. shower — to wash
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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