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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: tube · saw · firm · hide · shower · bass · net · jam

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. bass — the fish
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. shower — to wash
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bass — low music
  12. net — for catching
  13. firm — decided
  14. net — in sport
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. shower — rain
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — the underground
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. firm — a company
  22. net — after costs
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. firm — steady

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