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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: spring · mouse · bat · current · shower · dip · temple · branch

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. current — electric
  3. dip — to sink
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. current — happening now
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — the animal
  11. branch — a division
  12. current — of water
  13. spring — of water
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. shower — rain
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. spring — the season
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. spring — a coil
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. shower — to wash

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