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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.

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: wax · shower · rush · pit · can · bass · spell · squash

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. wax — to grow
  3. squash — the sport
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bass — low music
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. spell — a short time
  12. shower — rain
  13. pit — in a race
  14. spell — letters
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. spell — magic
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. can — to be able to
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. shower — to wash
  24. pit — a hole

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