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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: straw · cap · ball · bowl · face · lean · shower · wave

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. face — to point toward
  4. cap — a hat
  5. shower — to wash
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. cap — a lid
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — rain
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to confront
  14. lean — thin
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. ball — a dance
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. ball — a great time
  23. lean — to bend
  24. cap — of ice

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