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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 · chip · spell · field · rush · safe · cell · shower

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. rush — hurry
  3. spell — letters
  4. cell — in biology
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. current — of water
  7. current — happening now
  8. field — a subject
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. shower — rain
  12. chip — to eat
  13. spell — magic
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. current — electric
  17. field — for sport
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. field — farmland
  22. chip — for betting
  23. shower — to wash
  24. safe — out of danger

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