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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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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 · wax · pound · game · mark · tube · cap · suit

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. shower — rain
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. shower — to wash
  6. pound — a weight
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. cap — a lid
  9. suit — to fit
  10. suit — clothes
  11. wax — to grow
  12. game — wild animals
  13. tube — a container
  14. game — a match
  15. mark — a grade
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. suit — in cards
  19. tube — the underground
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. cap — a hat
  22. mark — a trace
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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