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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: lash · content · shower · mine · pound · spell · current · bore

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. shower — to wash
  3. spell — a short time
  4. current — of water
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. spell — magic
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — happy
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. pound — a weight
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. spell — letters
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. current — happening now
  18. shower — rain
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bore — to drill
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. bore — to tire
  24. current — electric

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