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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: club · shower · rash · court · current · rush · lie · bark

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  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. rush — to hurry
  2. shower — rain
  3. lie — to recline
  4. rash — a series
  5. shower — to wash
  6. rash — hasty
  7. court — of law
  8. court — for sport
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. club — for golf
  11. current — of water
  12. court — of a king
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. current — happening now
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bark — to shout
  19. current — electric
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. club — a group
  22. rush — hurry
  23. club — for dancing
  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