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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 116 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 · kick · wax · club · leaves · rash · ball · staff

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. staff — employees
  3. ball — a dance
  4. club — for dancing
  5. staff — a stick
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. rash — a series
  10. club — a group
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. rash — hasty
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. shower — rain
  15. staff — employees
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — to grow
  18. club — for golf
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. ball — a great time
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. shower — to wash
  24. leaves — of a tree

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