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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: fan · bound · cabinet · wax · shower · wave · hand · ground

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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. wax — to grow
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. hand — in cards
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. ground — a position
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. ground — crushed
  11. hand — help
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. ground — the earth
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. bound — obliged
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. shower — rain
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. shower — to wash
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. bound — tied together

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