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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: date · coach · shower · pass · rock · wind · chest · net

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. wind — moving air
  3. net — in sport
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. chest — of your body
  8. rock — a stone
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. chest — of your body
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. shower — rain
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. net — after costs
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. shower — to wash
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — the fruit
  21. pass — a permit
  22. chest — a box
  23. net — for catching
  24. wind — moving air

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