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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 · shower · bay · stick · fan · press · chip · wax

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. shower — to wash
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. current — happening now
  6. press — a publisher
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. press — to push
  11. chip — to eat
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. shower — rain
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. press — newspapers
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wax — to grow
  19. current — electric
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. current — of water
  24. chip — for betting

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