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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.

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: content · wound · chair · bass · shower · bore · club · ground

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — rain
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. club — for dancing
  7. content — happy
  8. ground — a position
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bass — low music
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. club — for golf
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — the amount
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bass — the fish
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. chair — a leader
  22. club — a group
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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