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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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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: bound · foot · current · shower · roll · straw

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. current — of water
  3. foot — a measure
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. roll — a list
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — to wash
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. current — happening now
  14. bound — certain
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — tied together
  18. current — electric

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