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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: bound · stand · rush · scale · spring · current · cap · shower

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. current — of water
  3. cap — a hat
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bound — tied together
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — to wash
  9. spring — the season
  10. stand — to bear
  11. cap — of ice
  12. scale — in music
  13. spring — of water
  14. current — happening now
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. current — electric
  18. rush — hurry
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bound — obliged
  21. shower — rain
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. spring — a coil
  24. scale — for weighing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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