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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: land · shower · current · cue · file · nail · arm · temple

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. cue — a signal
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. current — of water
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. shower — rain
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. land — ground
  12. current — happening now
  13. cue — for pool
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. current — electric
  18. land — a country
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. land — to come down
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a line of people
  23. cue — a hint
  24. file — a document

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