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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 120 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 · kick · rock · wax · drill · cabinet · field · bound

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — tied together
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. field — farmland
  6. wax — to grow
  7. shower — rain
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. drill — army training
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — music
  13. shower — to wash
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bound — obliged
  16. field — for sport
  17. kick — in football
  18. drill — the tool
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. field — a subject
  24. cabinet — ministers

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