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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: coach · club · shower · wax · bass · degree · sharp · pass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. club — for golf
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bass — the fish
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. shower — rain
  14. pass — a permit
  15. wax — to grow
  16. shower — to wash
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — an amount
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. club — a group
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. degree — from a university
  23. club — for dancing
  24. wax — for sculpting

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