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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: kick · content · prune · staff · chip · fan · current · shower

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. prune — to trim
  4. content — the amount
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. staff — employees
  7. content — happy
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. current — happening now
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. chip — to eat
  12. shower — rain
  13. current — electric
  14. shower — to wash
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. staff — employees
  22. chip — for betting
  23. staff — a stick
  24. current — of water

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