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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 120 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 · wax · march · dip · mark · mouse · wound · shower

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. dip — to sink
  4. current — of water
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. mark — a grade
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. mark — a trace
  9. march — the month
  10. current — electric
  11. march — music
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. current — happening now
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. shower — rain
  21. march — the month
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mouse — the animal

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