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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 · club · shower · bear · chip · ground · wound · swing

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  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. shower — to wash
  2. shower — rain
  3. club — a group
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. swing — music
  6. bear — the animal
  7. club — for dancing
  8. ground — the earth
  9. wound — an injury
  10. ground — a position
  11. swing — to play on
  12. chip — for betting
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bear — the animal
  16. club — for golf
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. ground — crushed
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — to eat
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. swing — in golf
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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