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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 120 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: stick · shower · hand · season · current · leaves · perch · drill

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  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. shower — rain
  2. current — of water
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. current — electric
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. season — of the year
  12. current — happening now
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — army training
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. hand — help
  20. perch — the fish
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. hand — in cards
  23. shower — to wash
  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