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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.

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: bass · cue · net · pit · shower · chair · season · wax

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. cue — a hint
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. season — of the year
  7. wax — to grow
  8. net — after costs
  9. bass — the fish
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. net — for catching
  13. season — in sport
  14. pit — in a race
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. pit — a hole
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. shower — rain
  20. net — in sport
  21. cue — a signal
  22. bass — low music
  23. chair — a leader
  24. cue — for pool

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