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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: straw · fan · current · lie · tube · wake · plane · shower

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. plane — a tool
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. tube — a container
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. current — electric
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. wake — a trail
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. tube — the underground
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. shower — to wash
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. current — of water
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. current — happening now

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