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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 · ruler · current · stock · game · temple · wound · bank

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bank — for money
  3. current — electric
  4. stock — goods
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — shares
  7. current — of water
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bank — of a river
  10. shower — to wash
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. game — a match
  13. bank — for money
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. game — wild animals
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. current — happening now
  20. shower — rain
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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