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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: trunk · fall · wax · shower · fan · bay · bowl · tube

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. fall — to drop
  3. tube — a container
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. tube — the underground
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — rain
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. wax — to grow

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