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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: chest · snap · bore · bark · jam · chip · shower · hand

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. chip — to eat
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. bore — to tire
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — to shout
  9. chip — for betting
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — help
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. chest — a box
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. snap — to click
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. hand — in cards

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