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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: press · bound · shower · drill · perch · wave · wake · wax

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bound — certain
  4. drill — a practice
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. drill — the tool
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. press — a publisher
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wax — to grow
  14. bound — tied together
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. drill — army training
  17. perch — the fish
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wake — a trail
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — to push
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. shower — rain
  24. wax — for sculpting

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