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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: shower · can · bass · wave · arm · pop · wax · rule

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  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. can — to be able to
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — soda
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. shower — to wash
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. rule — government
  8. can — a tin
  9. bass — the fish
  10. shower — rain
  11. pop — music
  12. bass — low music
  13. can — a tin
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. rule — a law
  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