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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 · current · hide · shower · bank · bulb · bark · fall

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. current — electric
  3. bank — for money
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. fall — to drop
  7. current — happening now
  8. fall — the season
  9. bank — of a river
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bank — for money
  13. bulb — for light
  14. shower — rain
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bulb — for light
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bark — to shout
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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