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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bulb — for light
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. drill — army training
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. pitch — completely
  8. band — a ring
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. drill — a practice
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. rush — hurry
  14. band — a music group
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. drill — the tool
  24. shower — rain

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