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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: current · cell · can · stick · bay · land · shower · squash

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. land — ground
  3. shower — rain
  4. current — of water
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. can — a tin
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. squash — the sport
  10. shower — to wash
  11. current — electric
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. can — to be able to
  17. land — to come down
  18. cell — in biology
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. current — happening now
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. can — a tin
  23. land — a country
  24. cell — a phone

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