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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: chest · bass · wax · bank · pass · shower · field · perch

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bank — for money
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. field — farmland
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bank — of a river
  7. chest — a box
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. bank — for money
  10. field — for sport
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — rain
  13. chest — of your body
  14. perch — the fish
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — low music
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. field — a subject
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. pass — a permit
  23. chest — of your body
  24. perch — for a bird

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