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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bass · chair · racket · season · wax · leaves · shower · land

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. season — of the year
  4. bass — the fish
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. land — ground
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. shower — rain
  12. land — to come down
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. wax — to grow
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bass — low music
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. land — a country
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. season — in sport
  24. chair — a leader

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