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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 · sharp · mouse · bass · nail · current · land · pitcher

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bass — the fish
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bass — low music
  6. land — a country
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. sharp — clever
  9. shower — rain
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. current — happening now
  12. land — ground
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — to wash
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. current — of water
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. current — electric

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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