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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 116 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: hide · saw · bass · stem · shower · dip · chip · drill

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. saw — the tool
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. bass — low music
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. dip — to sink
  9. saw — the tool
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — to wash
  12. drill — army training
  13. bass — the fish
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. drill — a practice
  16. chip — to eat
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. stem — to come from
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. shower — rain
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. drill — the tool
  24. chip — for betting

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