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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 120 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: bay · spring · shower · wax · club · game · suit · cabinet

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. wax — to grow
  3. spring — the season
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. suit — in cards
  8. suit — to fit
  9. game — a match
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. club — for golf
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — rain
  20. club — a group
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. club — for dancing
  23. spring — of water
  24. suit — clothes

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