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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 116 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: rash · bark · stand · shower · capital · bulb · sharp · wax

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. rash — a series
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. shower — to wash
  15. capital — a city
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bark — to shout
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. capital — money
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bulb — for light
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. rash — on the skin

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