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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: wound · wave · rash · wake · nail · shower · current · pitcher

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wound — an injury
  5. current — electric
  6. shower — to wash
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rash — a series
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. current — happening now
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rash — hasty
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. current — of water
  22. shower — rain
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. wake — a trail

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