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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.

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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: saw · shower · net · chair · pit · bowl · arm · wax

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pit — a hole
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. pit — in a race
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. wax — to grow
  10. chair — a leader
  11. saw — the tool
  12. net — for catching
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. shower — to wash
  17. net — after costs
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. shower — rain
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. net — in sport
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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