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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: bear · shower · bass · bat · wave · bound · jam · hide

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. bass — the fish
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. bear — the animal
  11. shower — rain
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. shower — to wash
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bass — low music

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