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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: present · pitcher · shower · row · stick · ground · wax · content

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. row — to paddle
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. ground — the earth
  7. shower — rain
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. content — happy
  10. ground — a position
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. ground — crushed
  13. content — the amount
  14. row — a line
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. present — the time now
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. present — a gift
  20. shower — to wash
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. present — there
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. row — a quarrel

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