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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: content · bat · safe · dip · wax · shower · current · cabinet

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bat — the animal
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. current — happening now
  11. dip — to sink
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. wax — to grow
  17. content — happy
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. current — of water
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. content — the amount
  22. current — electric
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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