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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: pop · plane · suit · current · shower · tear · hand · march

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. tear — to rip
  3. march — music
  4. hand — in cards
  5. march — the month
  6. pop — to visit
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. current — happening now
  10. tear — from crying
  11. shower — rain
  12. suit — clothes
  13. plane — a tool
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — music
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. current — electric
  19. shower — to wash
  20. tear — from crying
  21. current — of water
  22. march — the month
  23. suit — to fit
  24. hand — help

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