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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cap · net · arm · shower · court · wax · rash · fall

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. net — in sport
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. cap — a hat
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. fall — to drop
  8. court — of a king
  9. shower — to wash
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wax — to grow
  12. cap — a lid
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. net — for catching
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. court — of law
  17. cap — of ice
  18. fall — the season
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. net — after costs
  23. rash — hasty
  24. court — for sport

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