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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.

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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: shower · saw · fall · kick · net · tube · wax · mark

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. net — after costs
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. kick — in football
  7. net — for catching
  8. fall — the season
  9. shower — rain
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. tube — the underground
  13. shower — to wash
  14. mark — a grade
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. net — in sport
  18. tube — a container
  19. fall — to drop
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. fall — to drop

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