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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 · bear · wake · lie · cap · current · rest · mine

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. shower — to wash
  4. wake — a trail
  5. shower — rain
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bear — the animal
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cap — a lid
  11. bear — the animal
  12. current — happening now
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. current — electric
  15. mine — for digging
  16. cap — a hat
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. rest — what's left
  19. cap — of ice
  20. lie — to recline
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. rest — a break
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. mine — an explosive

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