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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: rock · current · deal · bank · shower · lash · cold · march

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. rock — a stone
  3. shower — rain
  4. march — the month
  5. cold — an illness
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. march — music
  9. current — happening now
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. rock — music
  13. bank — of a river
  14. current — of water
  15. bank — for money
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. current — electric
  18. deal — to handle
  19. cold — not warm
  20. march — the month
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. bank — for money

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