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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 · bear · ruler · last · dip · straw · fall · current

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. current — happening now
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. current — of water
  6. fall — to drop
  7. current — electric
  8. bear — the animal
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. bear — the animal
  12. dip — to sink
  13. fall — to drop
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. last — to go on
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. last — finally
  19. last — final
  20. shower — to wash
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. fall — the season
  23. shower — rain
  24. bear — to put up with

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