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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · march · craft · cabinet · wax · dip · tear · bowl

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  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. march — the month
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. tear — to rip
  6. shower — to wash
  7. tear — from crying
  8. craft — boats
  9. wax — to grow
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. march — music
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. tear — from crying
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. craft — a skill
  17. shower — rain
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. march — the month
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bowl — to roll
  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