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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 116 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 · bore · shower · band · object · wave · spell · fine

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. bass — low music
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — to drill
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. spell — letters
  11. fine — all right
  12. object — to protest
  13. bass — the fish
  14. band — a ring
  15. spell — magic
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. object — a thing
  18. object — an aim
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. band — a music group
  22. fine — high quality
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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