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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 120 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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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: shower · cold · wake · chip · safe · current · bound · object

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. shower — rain
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. object — to protest
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. current — happening now
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — certain
  10. cold — an illness
  11. object — a thing
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. current — of water
  15. chip — for betting
  16. object — an aim
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bound — tied together
  22. shower — to wash
  23. current — electric
  24. safe — out of danger

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