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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 · date · last · wax · bat · fine · bank · board

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  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. date — on the calendar
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. bank — for money
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. last — final
  8. last — finally
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bank — of a river
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. date — the fruit
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. board — to get on
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — high quality
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bank — for money
  21. shower — rain
  22. board — a committee
  23. last — to go on
  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