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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: bear · chip · rash · shower · firm · nail · snap · land

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. firm — a company
  3. rash — hasty
  4. firm — steady
  5. bear — the animal
  6. shower — to wash
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — a series
  9. shower — rain
  10. firm — decided
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. land — ground
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. chip — to eat
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. land — a country
  21. snap — to click
  22. land — to come down
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bear — the animal

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