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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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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 · snap · fork · cap · bass · jam · lean · pound

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. bass — low music
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — of ice
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lean — to bend
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. cap — a lid
  12. lean — thin
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. shower — to wash
  15. pound — a weight
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. fork — in a road
  20. bass — the fish
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to click

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