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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 116 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. season — of the year
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bank — of a river
  5. current — happening now
  6. rush — hurry
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bank — for money
  10. race — humankind
  11. bank — for money
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — a practice
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. race — the arms race
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. current — of water
  21. race — a contest
  22. drill — the tool
  23. shower — rain
  24. season — in sport

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