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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: rock · fall · temple · shower · wax · pitcher · fan · last

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. last — finally
  3. last — to go on
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — music
  8. shower — rain
  9. fall — the season
  10. wax — to grow
  11. last — final
  12. rock — a stone
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — to wash
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — to drop
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. fan — to cool the air

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