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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: bulb · pit · wax · face · stand · row · fan · shower

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. pit — in a race
  3. face — to confront
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bulb — for light
  7. row — a line
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. pit — a hole
  11. wax — to grow
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. face — part of the head
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. row — to paddle
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. face — to point toward
  18. shower — rain
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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