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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: shower · chip · lean · hand · mine · current · safe · drill

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. hand — help
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. current — happening now
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — for digging
  10. drill — the tool
  11. chip — for betting
  12. current — of water
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. chip — to eat
  15. drill — army training
  16. current — electric
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. hand — in cards
  21. lean — to bend
  22. shower — to wash
  23. drill — a practice
  24. shower — rain

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