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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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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 · shower · wake · current · pound · date · lie · prune

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. current — happening now
  3. shower — rain
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bound — obliged
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. lie — to recline
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. prune — to trim
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. current — of water
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bound — certain
  16. current — electric
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. date — the fruit
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bound — tied together

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