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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: fall · swing · straw · fine · nail · net · shower · wax

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. net — after costs
  4. fine — all right
  5. wax — to grow
  6. net — in sport
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. shower — rain
  11. fine — high quality
  12. swing — in golf
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. net — for catching
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. swing — to play on
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — to drop
  22. swing — music
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. shower — to wash

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