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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: charge · bat · cabinet · stand · temple · bass · wax · shower

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. shower — to wash
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. charge — in control
  10. bass — the fish
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. charge — electricity
  14. bat — the animal
  15. stand — to bear
  16. shower — rain
  17. charge — a price
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wax — to grow

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