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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · perch · land · prune · racket · wax · calf

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  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. land — ground
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bass — the fish
  4. perch — the fish
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. land — to come down
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. wax — to grow
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. shower — rain
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. land — a country
  23. wax — in the ear
  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