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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 120 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: lean · snap · lie · bank · fan · current · shower · foot

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. lean — to bend
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. foot — a measure
  7. bank — of a river
  8. lean — thin
  9. current — electric
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. bank — for money
  14. lie — to recline
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to click
  17. shower — to wash
  18. current — of water
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. shower — rain
  23. bank — for money
  24. fan — to cool the air

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