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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: shower · current · stand · rest · march · club · wound · content

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. rest — what's left
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. rest — a break
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — of water
  8. wound — an injury
  9. current — electric
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. march — the month
  12. shower — to wash
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. march — music
  15. club — for dancing
  16. content — happy
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — a group
  19. shower — rain
  20. march — the month
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. wound — an injury
  23. stand — to bear
  24. rest — what's left

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