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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: current · tear · foot · racket · row · face · bark · shower

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. tear — from crying
  3. shower — to wash
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. row — a line
  6. current — electric
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. current — of water
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. face — part of the head
  13. row — to paddle
  14. face — to confront
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. face — to point toward
  17. tear — from crying
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bark — to shout
  20. shower — rain
  21. foot — a measure
  22. current — happening now
  23. tear — to rip
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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