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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: sharp · rash · shower · dip · current · rush · field · fan

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. rash — a series
  3. field — farmland
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. shower — to wash
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. current — happening now
  9. field — a subject
  10. rush — hurry
  11. dip — to sink
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. current — of water
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. shower — rain
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. sharp — clever
  19. current — electric
  20. field — for sport
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. rash — hasty
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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