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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: shower · bass · lash · root · clip · wax · can · nail

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bass — low music
  4. can — a tin
  5. clip — a video
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. can — to be able to
  8. root — the cause
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bass — the fish
  11. root — of a plant
  12. shower — to wash
  13. can — a tin
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. wax — to grow
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. shower — rain
  20. clip — to cut
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. root — of a word

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