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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 116 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: cap · fine · fork · wax · shower · bulb · face · stick

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. shower — rain
  3. wax — to grow
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. cap — of ice
  6. fork — in a road
  7. bulb — for light
  8. face — to point toward
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fine — high quality
  11. shower — to wash
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fine — all right
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. face — part of the head
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. cap — a lid
  23. face — to confront
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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