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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: bowl · shower · current · fan · bank · spell · scale · game

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — to wash
  4. current — electric
  5. current — happening now
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — for money
  8. spell — magic
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bank — of a river
  13. current — of water
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. scale — in music
  17. game — wild animals
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. spell — letters
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. game — a match
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. scale — size or range

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