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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: shower · fine · rush · season · rash · wax · capital · nail

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. shower — rain
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. rush — hurry
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. rash — a series
  11. shower — to wash
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. season — in sport
  14. rash — hasty
  15. season — of the year
  16. fine — all right
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. capital — a city
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. capital — money
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — in the ear

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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