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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: season · mouse · leaves · wave · shower · current · march · chest

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. chest — of your body
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. shower — rain
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. chest — a box
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. chest — of your body
  15. current — electric
  16. shower — to wash
  17. march — the month
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. season — in sport
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. current — of water
  24. season — of the year

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