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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: bass · current · shower · stick · hand · bank · saw · arm

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. current — happening now
  3. saw — the tool
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. bank — for money
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — in cards
  8. shower — to wash
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bank — of a river
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. current — electric
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. bank — for money
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. current — of water
  22. bass — the fish
  23. saw — the tool
  24. shower — rain

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