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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: current · tear · bat · cap · cue · shower · rash · firm

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. current — happening now
  3. cue — a signal
  4. current — of water
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bat — the animal
  7. cue — a hint
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. tear — to rip
  10. firm — steady
  11. rash — hasty
  12. shower — to wash
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cue — for pool
  16. rash — a series
  17. firm — a company
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. firm — decided
  20. shower — rain
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. tear — from crying
  24. current — electric

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