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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: wax · shower · spell · face · bulb · racket · tear · current

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — a short time
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. current — electric
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. tear — to rip
  12. shower — to wash
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. face — part of the head
  15. current — happening now
  16. tear — from crying
  17. spell — magic
  18. bulb — for light
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bulb — for light
  21. current — of water
  22. face — to confront
  23. shower — rain
  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