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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: bass · fall · hand · mug · face · shower · staff · jam

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. shower — rain
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. shower — to wash
  7. mug — to rob
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. face — to confront
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. mug — a cup
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. bass — the fish
  17. mug — a face
  18. hand — in cards
  19. face — to point toward
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bass — low music
  23. face — part of the head
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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