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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 · wake · chip · bank · cabinet · bass · fall · racket

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bank — of a river
  5. bass — low music
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bank — for money
  8. bass — the fish
  9. fall — to drop
  10. shower — rain
  11. wake — a trail
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. chip — to eat
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bank — for money
  20. fall — the season
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. chip — for betting

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