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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
468
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 · can · swing · kick · wax · pitch · dip · straw

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. wax — to grow
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. shower — rain
  12. swing — music
  13. swing — in golf
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. can — a tin
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. swing — to play on
  21. kick — in football
  22. pitch — completely
  23. shower — to wash
  24. dip — a sauce

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