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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: press · shower · wake · cap · wax · spring · kick · rule

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. press — to push
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a lid
  9. press — newspapers
  10. shower — rain
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. spring — of water
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kick — in football
  16. rule — a law
  17. shower — to wash
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wax — to grow
  20. press — a publisher
  21. spring — a coil
  22. rule — government
  23. spring — the season
  24. cap — a hat

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