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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 · dip · wind · bowl · scale · shower · plane · hand

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. hand — help
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. current — happening now
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. current — of water
  9. dip — to sink
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. scale — in music
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. shower — rain
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. wind — moving air
  18. scale — size or range
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. shower — to wash
  21. current — electric
  22. plane — a tool
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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