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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 · march · band · wax · mark · pop · stock · bass

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — the fish
  3. band — a music group
  4. stock — shares
  5. march — the month
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. pop — to visit
  8. mark — a trace
  9. stock — goods
  10. march — music
  11. mark — a grade
  12. shower — rain
  13. pop — soda
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. shower — to wash
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. pop — music
  20. wax — to grow
  21. march — the month
  22. band — a ring
  23. bass — low music
  24. mark — to pay attention

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