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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: race · saw · bass · straw · shower · calf · toast · current

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. bass — the fish
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. current — of water
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. race — a contest
  12. shower — to wash
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. current — happening now
  16. toast — bread
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. shower — rain
  19. race — humankind
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bass — low music
  22. race — the arms race
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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