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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: rule · prune · wound · foot · wind · current · shower · mug

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wound — an injury
  5. prune — to trim
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. shower — rain
  9. current — electric
  10. current — of water
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. mug — a face
  14. mug — to rob
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rule — a law
  17. wound — an injury
  18. shower — to wash
  19. foot — a measure
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. mug — a cup
  22. current — happening now
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rule — government

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