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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 116 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: current · wave · march · bank · trunk · shower · cap · scale

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. scale — size or range
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. cap — a lid
  6. march — the month
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bank — of a river
  10. march — music
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. current — of water
  13. cap — a hat
  14. march — the month
  15. cap — of ice
  16. scale — in music
  17. current — electric
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bank — for money
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. bank — for money
  22. shower — rain
  23. current — happening now
  24. trunk — of a tree

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