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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: shower · wound · mark · pitch · face · wax · fan · lean

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. face — to point toward
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. lean — to bend
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. lean — thin
  9. face — part of the head
  10. wound — an injury
  11. shower — to wash
  12. mark — a grade
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. wound — an injury
  16. face — to confront
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. mark — a trace
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. wax — in the ear

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