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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 · object · current · hide · date · nail · tube · wake

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. object — to protest
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. shower — to wash
  9. current — electric
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. shower — rain
  14. current — of water
  15. tube — a container
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — the fruit
  18. tube — the underground
  19. object — an aim
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. wake — a trail
  22. object — a thing
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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