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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: trunk · current · cabinet · content · nail · row · game · shower

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. current — of water
  3. row — a line
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — to wash
  6. game — a match
  7. game — wild animals
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. current — happening now
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. row — to paddle
  20. shower — rain
  21. current — electric
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. content — happy
  24. content — the amount

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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