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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 · fork · saw · bass · content · firm · file · mug

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. shower — rain
  3. mug — a cup
  4. content — happy
  5. mug — to rob
  6. firm — a company
  7. fork — in a road
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. content — the amount
  10. file — a line of people
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. file — a document
  13. saw — the tool
  14. firm — steady
  15. bass — low music
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. saw — the tool
  18. file — a tool
  19. firm — decided
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. mug — a face
  23. bass — the fish
  24. shower — to wash

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