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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: wave · stick · mate · fork · ground · mine · wax · shower

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. ground — the earth
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. shower — to wash
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. fork — in a road
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. mate — to breed
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. wax — to grow
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — crushed
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mine — for digging

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