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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 120 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: wax · rush · can · rest · shower · capital · hide · fan

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. can — a tin
  5. shower — to wash
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. can — a tin
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — hurry
  12. wax — to grow
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. rest — what's left
  16. shower — rain
  17. can — to be able to
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. capital — money
  23. rest — a break
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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