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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: jam · bound · wax · season · spell · wind · shower · march

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. march — music
  3. shower — rain
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bound — obliged
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wind — moving air
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. spell — magic
  13. season — of the year
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. bound — certain
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. bound — tied together
  18. march — the month
  19. season — in sport
  20. march — the month
  21. wind — moving air
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — letters
  24. season — to add flavour

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