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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: wax · ball · cap · dip · branch · spell · shower · bulb

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. ball — a great time
  3. bulb — for light
  4. spell — a short time
  5. shower — to wash
  6. cap — a hat
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. cap — a lid
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. spell — magic
  11. branch — a division
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. dip — to sink
  15. cap — of ice
  16. wax — to grow
  17. spell — letters
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. ball — a dance

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