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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: pitcher · season · board · bowl · current · shower · bark · wax

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. current — electric
  3. shower — rain
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. current — of water
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. board — a committee
  18. current — happening now
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. season — of the year
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bark — to shout
  24. shower — to wash

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