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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: net · shower · fan · arm · mate · bass · rash · band

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — rain
  4. bass — low music
  5. shower — to wash
  6. net — after costs
  7. mate — a friend
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. band — a ring
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bass — the fish
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rash — hasty
  20. mate — to breed
  21. net — for catching
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. band — a music group
  24. net — in sport

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