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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 · racket · rash · perch · pound · present · current · vault

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. current — of water
  6. shower — to wash
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pound — a weight
  9. present — there
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rash — hasty
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. rash — a series
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. shower — rain
  17. present — a gift
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. vault — a safe
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. perch — the fish
  23. present — the time now
  24. current — happening now

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