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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
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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: wax · shower · tube · cold · can · tear · mouse · rash

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — to grow
  3. cold — an illness
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — a tin
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — a container
  9. rash — hasty
  10. tear — to rip
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. can — to be able to
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. shower — rain
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. tear — from crying
  17. shower — to wash
  18. cold — not warm
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. tube — the underground
  22. rash — a series
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mouse — the animal

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