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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 · hand · temple · chip · fork · rash · club · wave

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. club — for golf
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. rash — hasty
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. hand — in cards
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. shower — to wash
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. shower — rain
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. club — a group
  18. chip — for betting
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. club — for dancing
  21. chip — to eat
  22. fork — in a road
  23. hand — help
  24. rash — a series

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