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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: staff · temple · root · shower · hide · bark · current · bass

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. shower — rain
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. root — the cause
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. current — electric
  14. shower — to wash
  15. root — of a plant
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. staff — employees
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. current — happening now
  21. root — of a word
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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