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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 116 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: current · wave · mine · mark · object · game · shower · kid

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. kid — child
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mark — a grade
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. kid — to tease
  8. mine — for digging
  9. shower — rain
  10. current — of water
  11. object — to protest
  12. current — happening now
  13. object — a thing
  14. game — a match
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. current — electric
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. object — an aim
  19. game — wild animals
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. shower — to wash

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