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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: rash · coach · current · bank · dip · arm · shower · ground

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. rash — hasty
  4. ground — crushed
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. shower — rain
  10. current — of water
  11. bank — for money
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bank — of a river
  14. dip — to sink
  15. ground — the earth
  16. current — electric
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — a series
  19. current — happening now
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bank — for money
  23. ground — a position
  24. shower — to wash

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