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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: leaves · wax · bass · mark · shower · lie · bat · rash

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  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. rash — hasty
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bat — the animal
  4. shower — rain
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bass — the fish
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. mark — a trace
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. mark — a grade
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. rash — a series
  21. bass — low music
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. leaves — lets stay
  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