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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 · wave · current · pitcher · bay · bound · dip · band

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. shower — to wash
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. current — electric
  7. dip — to sink
  8. current — happening now
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. band — a ring
  13. bound — tied together
  14. current — of water
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. bound — certain
  17. shower — rain
  18. band — a music group
  19. bound — obliged
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. band — a rubber band

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