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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: stand · shower · ground · wax · bass · leaves

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. ground — a position
  4. bass — the fish
  5. shower — rain
  6. stand — to bear
  7. wax — to grow
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. ground — crushed
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. bass — low music
  13. ground — the earth
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — to go away

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