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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 120 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: calf · wax · drill · current · rash · stock · track · kid

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. track — a path
  3. drill — army training
  4. current — electric
  5. wax — to grow
  6. drill — the tool
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. drill — a practice
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. current — happening now
  12. track — to keep track
  13. stock — shares
  14. rash — hasty
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. current — of water
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. track — a song
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. kid — to tease

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