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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ground · bass · shower · content · plane · chair · stick · current

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  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. bass — low music
  2. content — happy
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. content — the amount
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. ground — the earth
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bass — the fish
  9. current — of water
  10. shower — rain
  11. plane — a tool
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. current — electric
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. ground — a position
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. chair — a leader
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. ground — crushed
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. shower — to wash
  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