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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: wax · coach · shower · date · patient · dip · wind · perch

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wind — moving air
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wind — moving air
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. perch — the fish
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. dip — to sink
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wax — to grow
  21. shower — rain
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. shower — to wash
  24. wind — to turn a key

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