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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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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: branch · chip · cap · shower · bass · safe · board · spring

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. shower — rain
  3. bass — the fish
  4. board — to get on
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. cap — of ice
  8. chip — for betting
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — the season
  13. chip — to eat
  14. cap — a hat
  15. board — a committee
  16. spring — of water
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. branch — a division
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. bass — low music
  24. shower — to wash

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