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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: chip · shower · fall · staff · current · content · bank · bass

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bass — the fish
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — happy
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bass — low music
  9. chip — to eat
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — of water
  12. content — the amount
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. staff — employees
  16. bank — for money
  17. chip — for betting
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — a stick
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. shower — rain
  22. current — electric
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bank — for money

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