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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: rock · rush · current · swing · bark · shower · mouse · sharp

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. swing — to play on
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bark — to shout
  6. swing — music
  7. rock — music
  8. current — electric
  9. current — happening now
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. rush — hurry
  13. swing — in golf
  14. current — of water
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — rain
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rock — a stone
  20. sharp — clever
  21. shower — to wash
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. mouse — the animal

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