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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: hand · current · wound · pass · bass · shower · chip · drill

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  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. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. drill — the tool
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — rain
  5. current — electric
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. drill — army training
  8. hand — help
  9. chip — to eat
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — low music
  12. shower — to wash
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. current — happening now
  18. wound — an injury
  19. drill — a practice
  20. current — of water
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. hand — in cards
  23. pass — a permit
  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