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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: season · chip · degree · shower · bank · bass · wake · current

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. shower — rain
  4. bank — for money
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. shower — to wash
  7. season — in sport
  8. degree — an amount
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — low music
  12. degree — temperature
  13. season — of the year
  14. bank — of a river
  15. current — of water
  16. current — electric
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bass — the fish
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bank — for money
  21. chip — to eat
  22. wake — a trail
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. current — happening now

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