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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · land · mouse · shower · rock · drill · spell · deal

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. drill — army training
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. spell — magic
  5. drill — a practice
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. current — happening now
  8. rock — a stone
  9. drill — the tool
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. land — a country
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. current — electric
  14. land — ground
  15. shower — to wash
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. rock — music
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. shower — rain
  21. land — to come down
  22. current — of water
  23. deal — to handle
  24. spell — a short time

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