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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: bass · shower · wind · coach · date · jam

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. bass — low music
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — the fish
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. shower — to wash
  13. date — the fruit
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. jam — in traffic

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