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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 · spring · ground · current · rock · scale · net · roll

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. scale — size or range
  4. shower — to wash
  5. spring — of water
  6. ground — a position
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. roll — a cake
  9. net — for catching
  10. current — electric
  11. rock — music
  12. ground — the earth
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. scale — in music
  15. shower — rain
  16. net — in sport
  17. spring — a coil
  18. ground — crushed
  19. spring — the season
  20. current — happening now
  21. net — after costs
  22. roll — a list
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. current — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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