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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: spring · racket · swing · shower · can · bark · wax · bowl

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. shower — to wash
  3. bark — to shout
  4. wax — to grow
  5. swing — music
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. spring — the season
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. can — to be able to
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. can — a tin
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. shower — rain
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. can — a tin
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. swing — to play on
  21. spring — of water
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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