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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.

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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: dip · shower · wax · race · chair · stand · bowl · trunk

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. dip — to sink
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. race — humankind
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. race — the arms race
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. race — a contest
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. stand — to bear
  24. shower — rain

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