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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: shower · dip · fan · lean · leaves · current · toast · content

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — rain
  3. content — happy
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. content — the amount
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. current — of water
  8. lean — thin
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. current — happening now
  14. toast — bread
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. dip — to sink
  18. current — electric
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. lean — to bend
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. content — videos and posts

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