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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: coach · tube · current · deal · chest · shower · swing · wave

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. chest — a box
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. tube — a container
  6. shower — to wash
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. chest — of your body
  11. swing — to play on
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. current — of water
  14. chest — of your body
  15. deal — to handle
  16. swing — in golf
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. swing — music
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. shower — rain
  22. current — electric
  23. tube — the underground
  24. current — happening now

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