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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: leaves · bank · stand · hand · date · shower · row · current

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — to wash
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. hand — help
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. row — a line
  9. bank — for money
  10. current — of water
  11. hand — in cards
  12. row — to paddle
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. stand — to bear
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bank — of a river
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bank — for money
  23. date — the fruit
  24. current — electric

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