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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: cap · row · racket · ground · wax · fan · shower · sharp

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  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. sharp — with an edge
  3. row — a line
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. ground — crushed
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cap — a lid
  8. ground — the earth
  9. sharp — clever
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — of ice
  20. ground — a position
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. sharp — exactly
  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