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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: wake · board · net · shower · pitcher · current · lie · stick

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. current — of water
  4. current — happening now
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. shower — rain
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. lie — to recline
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. shower — to wash
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a committee
  14. wake — a trail
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. net — in sport
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. net — after costs
  23. current — electric
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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