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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: leaves · pass · bowl · spell · shower · hand · fine · wax

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. fine — all right
  3. pass — a permit
  4. fine — high quality
  5. spell — magic
  6. hand — in cards
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. hand — help
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. shower — rain
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. spell — letters
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. spell — a short time
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. hand — part of the body

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