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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: wax · can · pop · shower · current · fan · tear · chip

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. shower — rain
  4. current — happening now
  5. tear — to rip
  6. current — of water
  7. tear — from crying
  8. chip — for betting
  9. tear — from crying
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. pop — to visit
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. wax — to grow
  17. can — a tin
  18. current — electric
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. shower — to wash
  22. pop — music
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pop — soda

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