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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: lean · bowl · shower · pitcher · plane · wax · cap · foot

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. cap — of ice
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. foot — a measure
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. plane — a tool
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — to wash
  15. lean — to bend
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. cap — a lid
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. lean — thin
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. cap — a hat

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