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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  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. shower — to wash
  2. current — of water
  3. row — to paddle
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. tear — to rip
  6. current — electric
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — rain
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. charge — in control
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. charge — electricity
  14. bass — low music
  15. bank — for money
  16. charge — a price
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bank — for money
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bank — of a river
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. row — a line
  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