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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 · chest · current · track · fall · suit · rash · rush

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. rash — a series
  3. suit — to fit
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. suit — clothes
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. shower — rain
  8. fall — the season
  9. current — happening now
  10. fall — to drop
  11. chest — a box
  12. suit — in cards
  13. chest — of your body
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. chest — of your body
  16. track — a song
  17. track — to keep track
  18. fall — to drop
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. shower — to wash
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rush — hurry
  23. current — of water
  24. current — electric

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