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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: perch · wax · shower · bulb · leaves · race · season · staff

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — a stick
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bulb — for light
  9. race — a contest
  10. bulb — for light
  11. perch — the fish
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. race — humankind
  15. season — of the year
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. season — in sport
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. race — the arms race
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. staff — employees
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — for sculpting

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