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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: clip · net · shower · wax · bear · bore · wave · rush

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — for catching
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bore — to tire
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bear — the animal
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bore — to drill
  15. clip — for paper
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. clip — a video
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. net — after costs
  21. shower — rain
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. bear — the animal

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