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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: fall · shower · rule · rock · wound · perch · lean · current

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. lean — thin
  3. perch — the fish
  4. shower — to wash
  5. current — electric
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. rock — a stone
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. rule — government
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wound — an injury
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. lean — to bend
  15. rule — a law
  16. rock — music
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fall — the season
  23. shower — rain
  24. current — of water

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