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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: ball · wave · shower · ground · can · stand · wax · lash

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. ball — a dance
  5. stand — to bear
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. ball — a great time
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. ground — the earth
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. ground — a position
  14. shower — to wash
  15. ground — crushed
  16. wax — to grow
  17. can — to be able to
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. shower — rain
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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