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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: mouse · current · rock · roll · land · tube · pit · shower

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. land — to come down
  4. shower — to wash
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. pit — a hole
  8. land — a country
  9. pit — in a race
  10. current — of water
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. tube — the underground
  13. land — ground
  14. current — electric
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. tube — a container
  17. rock — a stone
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. roll — a list
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. roll — a cake
  23. shower — rain
  24. rock — music

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