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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 · pit · stand · sharp · straw · last · shower · bank

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bank — for money
  3. current — of water
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. last — finally
  6. bank — of a river
  7. current — happening now
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. last — to go on
  10. sharp — clever
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bank — for money
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. pit — in a race
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. shower — rain
  20. last — final
  21. current — electric
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pit — a hole

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