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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wax · pitcher · racket · shower · leaves · clip · wind · vault

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. shower — rain
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. clip — to cut
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. clip — a video
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. wind — moving air
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. shower — to wash
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. vault — a safe
  21. clip — for paper
  22. wax — to grow
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pitcher — a jug

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