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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: season · stick · coach · current · rest · kid · bark · shower

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. rest — a break
  3. kid — to tease
  4. shower — rain
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rest — what's left
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. rest — what's left
  10. shower — to wash
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bark — to shout
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — of water
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. kid — child
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — of the year
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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