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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: current · bore · chest · pitcher · content · wax · chair · rush

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  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. current — of water
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bore — to tire
  7. rush — hurry
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — happy
  10. current — happening now
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. wax — to grow
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. chest — a box
  16. chest — of your body
  17. current — electric
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chair — a leader
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bore — to drill
  23. content — the amount
  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