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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 · current · cell · hand · spell · shower · trunk · club

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — to wash
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. wax — to grow
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. current — happening now
  8. spell — a short time
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. cell — in biology
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. cell — a phone
  14. hand — in cards
  15. club — a group
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. current — of water
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. club — for golf
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. club — for dancing
  22. current — electric
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — letters

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