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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 · pound · shower · wound · mug · swing · net · face

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. shower — rain
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. face — part of the head
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — in sport
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mug — a face
  10. current — happening now
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. shower — to wash
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wound — an injury
  15. net — after costs
  16. mug — a cup
  17. wound — an injury
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — music
  20. pound — a weight
  21. face — to confront
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. current — of water
  24. swing — in golf

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