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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 116 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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. squash — the sport
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. shower — to wash
  10. bass — the fish
  11. squash — to crush
  12. cap — a lid
  13. bass — low music
  14. cap — of ice
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. pop — music
  18. pop — soda
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. cap — a hat
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. pop — to visit
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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