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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 116 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: perch · mark · leaves · current · season · cue · shower · row

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — of water
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. season — in sport
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. mark — a trace
  9. cue — a hint
  10. current — happening now
  11. mark — a grade
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. row — a line
  15. cue — a signal
  16. shower — to wash
  17. row — to paddle
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. shower — rain
  20. cue — for pool
  21. season — of the year
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. leaves — to go away

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