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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 · jam · bear · lean · cabinet · chip · bass · wound

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. chip — for betting
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. wound — an injury
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bass — the fish
  9. lean — to bend
  10. shower — rain
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. lean — thin
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. bass — low music
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. shower — to wash
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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