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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: file · trunk · bear · current · roll · rest · hand · shower

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bear — the animal
  5. shower — rain
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. file — a document
  8. hand — in cards
  9. current — electric
  10. file — a tool
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. hand — help
  15. rest — a break
  16. roll — a cake
  17. file — a line of people
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. current — happening now
  20. bear — the animal
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. roll — a list
  23. rest — what's left
  24. current — of water

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