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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: lean · shower · date · trunk · perch · mouse · foot · current

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. lean — thin
  4. shower — to wash
  5. date — the fruit
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. current — of water
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. current — happening now
  21. perch — the fish
  22. shower — rain
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. lean — to bend

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